Havok
by skullcandy216
Summary: Brooklyn Stark doesn't feel like she belongs in the world of Dark Knights and Men of Steel. She's much more used to Invincible Iron Men and Incredible Hulks. But when all of that it pulled out from under her and she's thrown onto a team of teenage superheroes she realizes she can't spend the rest of her life as Iron Man's daughter. Time for her to make a name for herself.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is my first attempt at a Young Justice story so I hope it turns out okay. Rated T for children swearing, badly written PG 13 violence and themes the easily offended may find offensive.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned DC comics I wouldn't be writing here, because Brooklyn would have her own series and action figures and little t-shirts with her face on them and all that other stuff. Alas, here I am, writing on a dusty old computer I forgot I owned (my laptop has PMS).**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Today's the Day**

**GOTHAM CITY  
****July 4  
****11:48 EDT****  
**

"So, you excited?" Dick's voice snapped me out of my own mind. I had been daydreaming about home. The hustle and bustle of London at rush hour, the sound of Pepper's voice while she sang along to Kesha, not caring if she was off key, that kind of thing. None of what was going on now seemed. . .real.

Almost a month in, and I still couldn't believe I was there. Gotham was, admittedly, not the most picturesque city in the United States, nor was it the most citizen-friendly…or the most hygienic. But I was still there, in Gotham, ready to make a difference in the world. I was one of Batman's protégés, fighting alongside the Boy-frickin'-Wonder, mere hours away from entering the Hall of Justice.

Bruce Wayne-who had been a close friend of my father's before I was born-had arrived at my house in London about a month before, Dick Grayson in tow. He'd told me everything. About him being Batman. About the Justice League (which I had never heard of). And about my dad's idea. Dad knew he wouldn't be around forever. The arc reactor in his chest was too unpredictable. And he knew that my powers would need safeguarding until I learned to control them (still workin' on it). My father had made an arrangement with Bruce to have Batman take me on as his protégé if ever he should perish. Granted, he hadn't expected all of the Avengers to be killed by the Skrull invasion, but Tony Stark trusted Bruce Wayne enough to entrust his daughter to him.

Apparently.

And now I was in Gotham, fighting crime with the caped crusader himself.

How many people can say that about their lives?

Yeah, I had it good.

I wasn't going to lie to myself. I missed Pepper, who had been my legal guardian for almost two years, dad's former secretary. I missed England, the constant murmur of millions of Londoners complaining about the terrible weather and the state of the economy and public transport. I missed being able to wander down Sloane Street, greeting neighbours with easy smiles and lofty hellos because no matter who it was you were talking to you always felt it was okay to talk to them. One of them might turn out to be a serial killer, but you didn't care, because it was home. Now, in Gotham, I was given second glances, whispered about between strangers. At least twice a day I was asked if I was really Iron Man's daughter. Sometimes I wished I could go home even for a day, just to hear the lofty voices I had grown up listening to, see Pepper scurry around the house on the phone with the Stark Industries head of security-or someone like that-while simultaneously preparing dinner and checking my homework for spelling mistakes.

One look out the window and all the homesickness vanished. It didn't matter that I was away from everything I knew. Didn't matter that Pepper wasn't there to see it. It didn't even matter that I hadn't chosen a name yet. I was going to be a hero. A real hero. Just like dad

I started when Dick's voice broke my inner train of thought, gazed around the crowded diner while I tried to remember where I was. My eyes finally came to rest on Dick, who was busy stuffing his face opposite me. He was looking at me expectantly, obviously waiting for the answer to the question I hadn't listened to.

"Sorry, what?" I asked, stirring my cola with a straw.

"Am I really that boring?" Dick chuckled around a huge bite of pancakes. Pancakes at midday. You gotta love America. "I asked if you were excited. Today's the day, Brooke! We finally get a tour of Justice League HQ!"

"Yeah, I'm excited." I smiled down at the table. "It doesn't really seem fair though. You've been by Batman's side for over four years. I just got here ten minutes ago."

"Hey," He reached across the table and placed his hand on mine reassuringly. "Three weeks is plenty of time. And besides, you've been trained to fight by the Avengers since you were, what, five?"

"Four, technically."

"Exactly." He pointed his fork at me for emphasis . "You, Brooklyn Stark, have just as much right to see the Hall of Justice as I do. Though I don't know if you'll ever be able to actually _join_ the League. What's their policy on foreigners?" I laughed, jabbing my straw at his shoulder.

"I am not a foreigner. I am English. If anything, I should be allowed to join the League just to add some cultural diversity." I moved to take a piece of pancake from his plate but he slapped my hand away. "Hey, what was that for?"

"You do this every time." he exclaimed dramatically. "Every time we get pancakes you _always_ get chocolate even though you _always_ want blueberry. And then you eat half my food. Not this time Brooke, I am officially banning you from entering my plate!" I was about to make some witty retort about not wanting to catch whatever his food was infected with anyway when my ass vibrated. Well, to be more specific, the phone in my back pocket vibrated. I pulled it out, saw Dick do the same thing.

"Freeze attacking innocent bystanders?"

He nodded. "Looks like we're heading to the park." He shovelled one final bite into his mouth before jumping out of our booth, heading for the door.

"Hey!" I called after him. "I thought we were splitting the bill!" He shot something that sounded like 'owl pay oo bah' over his shoulder before disappearing out the door. I scowled after him, pulling my wallet out of my jacket, swiping the last chunk of blueberry pancake from his plate with great disdain. Just because it took him longer to fix his cape than me meant I had to pay for his lunch. Every time.

"Your boyfriend could really use some manners, leavin' a pretty girl like you with the bill." The lady behind the counter told me, throwing a mock disapproving glance in the general direction Dick had departed in. I snorted at her comment, tossing a twenty onto the countertop, turning towards the door, hollering 'keep the change!' before vaulting into a nearby alley. Dick was adjusting his tights. I shucked off my civvies, revealing my costume beneath it. I buckled my belt around my waist-equipped with pretty much nothing except knockout gas and tranq darts because my powers are just that awesome-and pulled off my glasses. The world around me blurred until I fitted my prescription-lensed mask over my eyes. Robin fixed his mask, which was almost identical, over his own eyes.

"You know, you really should get surgery." he said conversationally, stuffing our clothes into a backpack, which he stashed out of sight. "I mean, a four eyed super hero just isn't all that hero-y. No one would take you seriously if they knew you were half blind."

"No way am I letting someone point lasers at my face. I shall deal with the ridicule from my comrades for the rest of my natural life if I have to, but no lasers. Ever. Besides, anyone makes fun of my glasses and I'll torch 'em." I ran my fingers through my hair, which barely reached my chin. It used to be the approximate colour of Superman's unitard, but Bats had made me go back to black before I donned my bulletproof leggings. Couldn't risk the world finding out the future CEO of Stark Industries was running around in a mask, now could we? And as much as I tried to prove otherwise, blue hair wasn't very inconspicuous.

"So do we take the bikes, the Bat or the bus?" Robin asked.

"Get the bikes. After last time I don't think Batman's going to let us near his plane."

"It was a small fire!" Robin protested, hands on his hips.

"No, it was a big fire." I stated matter-of-factly. "It was a small forest. There's a difference. Now let's go, Mr. Freeze is waiting."

**GOTHAM CITY  
****July 4  
****12:00 EDT****  
**

The weather in Gotham was warmer than usual, even for July, so the park was full of men, woman and children having picnics, walking dogs, playing football, et cetera et cetera. As Robin and I skidded across the green we passed several people doing everything listed above. However, they were kinda frozen. So that wasn't good. Robin came to a stop behind a clump of trees and ditched his bike, not bothering with the kickstand. I balanced mine against an old oak before taking off after Robin, who had started to sprint through the greenery before his bike had hit the ground. I could see Freeze up ahead, making ice sculptures out of everyone in sight. Robin threw a birdarang, which collided with Freeze's freeze ray thingie (not the official term, I'm sure) just before he iced a young couple with a pram. Freeze turned, gazing around him, looking for his assailant.

"Batman." he said coldly (ha ha, cheesy pun). "I was wondering when-" He was cut off by Robin's laughter. I spun around to where he had been standing twenty seconds ago but, of course, he was gone. There was a loud crash and I turned again just in time to see Robin flip away from Freeze, who had acquired a long crack down his helmet. I smirked to myself. No way was I letting Boy Wonder have all the fun. I jumped down from my perch and landed squarely on Freeze's head, sending another long crack splintering through the glass. Freeze fell forward to the ground, snarling low in his throat.

"Boy Wonder." He growled as I ran to join Robin. "And who are you? Bat Girl? The _Girl_ Wonder? Or just another whelp with a flare for gymnastics?"

"Nope." I grinned, holding out my hand. I clicked my fingers, fed the spark that was created my energy, and curled my fingers around the ball of fire that had appeared in my palm. "I'm your worst nightmare."

Freeze looked surprised for a second but quickly regained his composure. He simply chortled, rising to his feet. "Nice trick. But frankly, I'm underwhelmed. The Bat sent his sidekicks to drag me off to prison. I'm quite insulted actually."

"God, shut up Freeze. We don't have time for your weak attempt at banter." I groaned, letting the fire in my hand die out.

"We're kind of in a hurry here." Robin added, hands on his hips.

"Kids, always in such a rush." Freeze said, pointing his freeze ray thingie at us. "I prefer to preserve these moments, forever."

"Not talkin' to you." Robin sang. A familiar shadow appeared above us. Mr. Freeze turned, catching Batman's fist in the face. Or, the facial area of his helmet at least, which shattered into a million pieces. Freeze fell to the ground again.

"Trap him." Batman ordered. I nodded, held out both hands, visualised a dome surrounding Mr. Freeze and willed it to take shape. Freeze groaned and made a move to stand up but whacked his head against the invisible barrier covering him. He growled and started pounding against the solidified air, confusion and anger painted across his face.

"How's that for a trick?" I asked smugly. Freeze roared, attacking the force field with increased vigour.

"I love it when you do that." Robin snickered. "It's like he's pretending to be a mime."

"Good work you two." Batman told us, coming up behind Robin. "I'll deal with Freeze, you handle the frozen civilians. Then, we'll head for the Hall of Justice."

"Suh-weet!" Robin cried, throwing his hands in the air. He pulled a fistful of fire pellets things (I am still unfamiliar with the bat tech lingo) and ran off to defrost the general populace.

"How long with the dome stay in place?" Batman asked me. I glanced over at Freeze again. He was still punching the air around him. He looked quite retarded.

"If he keeps punching it, three minutes. If he tuckers himself out and/or gives up, seven. The barriers one way. You can get in, he can't get out."

"Impressive." Batman didn't sound very impressed but, meh, he's Batman. "I'll handle him, go help Robin." I nodded and turned to follow Robin but he caught my elbow. "Don't worry about today. You deserve it as much as the others."

"How did you-"

"You've always doubted yourself Brooklyn." He told me, not unkindly. "Even when you were a child. You're doing good work here." I felt myself blush. From Batman, that was the epitome of compliments. I nodded again and ran off after Robin.

**WASHINGTON DC  
****JULY 4  
****14:00 EDT****  
**

Robin, Batman and I stood in line with Aquaman, Aqualad, Green Arrow and Speedy outside the Hall of Justice. We were waiting for the two speedsters who were-ironically-late, but I barely noticed. I had only ever seen the Hall in pictures or on the news. To be standing in front of it now, waiting to go inside, was completely mind-blowing.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Batman place his other hand on Robin. "Today's the day." He smiled. _Actually smiled_. So weird.

"Welcome to the Hall of Justice." said Green Arrow.

"Headquarters of the Justice League." Aquaman added. As if we didn't know that already.

"Oh man!" I smiled to myself. The speedsters had arrived. And-lo and behold-Flash came into view, Kid Flash at his heels. "I knew we'd be the last ones here." Kid Flash complained as he came to a skidding stop.

"Well, you are here now, so let us proceed." Aquaman turned and led us down the pathway, which was lined on either side by people with cameras. Something you need to know about me. I hate having my picture taken. I would have to get over my aversion at some point since as the future CEO of an international company I was going to be photographed. A lot.

_Is that Batman?  
I see Flash and Flash Junior!_

_His name is Speedy._

_No, that's Green Arrows sidekick._

_Well, that makes no sense._

_Who's the girl?_

_Um, Batgirl?_

_She doesn't _look_ like a Batgirl._

The constant stream of chatter from the crowd was blotted out when KF elbowed me in the shoulder. "Still no name?" he asked. I sighed, shaking my head.

"Choosing a title is rather difficult, it would appear." I murmured.

"Hey, you could always go with Mrs. Kid Flash." he said, dropping his voice to a level he appeared to think was seductive. I smiled sweetly, gazing up at him through my eyelashes.

"Thanks for the offer darling, but I don't do gingers." Robin erupted into giggles beside me. Even Aqualad chuckled at Wally's scandalized expression. Roy, however, continues to look straight ahead, too mature to laugh at my wisecrack. Stupid Speedy.

"I am glad we're all here." Kaldur announced.

"Have all five sidekicks ever been at the same place at the same time?" Kid Flash inquired excitedly.

"I dunno if I qualify for sidekickdom yet." I mumbled.

"Don't call us sidekicks." Speedy snapped at KF. "Not after today." Such a ray of sunshine, that boy.

"S-sorry. First time at the Hall. I'm a little overwhelmed."

"You're overwhelmed, Freeze was underwhelmed. Why isn't anyone ever just whelmed?" Robin asked.

"Probably 'cause whelmed doesn't actually mean neutral. It means to be submerged or covered. Also to be overcome by emotion." I stated, glancing around at the gathered crowd. "I suppose whelmed could be used as a standpoint between 'overwhelmed' and 'underwhelmed', but does one really need to clarify uninterested involvement?" I turned back to the others, who were staring at me with a mixture of confusion and amusement. "What?"

"Do you even notice when you go all Ms. Wikipedia on us?" Kid Flash asked.

"Maybe that could be your name!" Robin suggested. "Kickin' ass, fighting crime, dropping useless facts all the while."

"Yeah, that's likely." I snorted as we entered the actual Hall. We were met by huge statues of the first seven League members, illuminated by spotlights.

"Whoa." Robin breathed, gazing up at the monuments with unmasked awe.

"I second that emotion." I chuckled, examining every square inch of the room we had entered. The panel doors in front of us slid open, revealing Martian Manhunter and Red Tornado. They regarded the five of us warmly-well, Manhunter did anyway.

"Robin, Speedy, Aqualad, Kid Flash." He regarded each of the boys in turn. When he reached me he faltered. I just shook my head with a shy smile. Manhunter gave me a sympathetic look before continuing. "Welcome, to the Hall of Justice." We followed him through the panel doors, through the winding corridors and all the different rooms, finally stopping in the library, the walls of which were lined with bookshelves creaking under the weight of the material the contained. "You now have unlimited access to the gym, our fully stocked galley, and of course, our library."

"Make yourselves at home." Flash told us. Kid Flash and Robin both flung themselves into chairs. Kaldur took the remaining seat and I plopped onto the floor between Robin and KF. Speedy stayed standing. Not that he had much of a choice.

"Quick debrief to discuss the coincidence of four ice villains attacking on the same day." Batman announced. "We shouldn't be long."

_Recognise: Batman, zero-two. Aquaman, zero-six. Flash, zero-four. Green Arrow, zero-eight. Martian Manhunter, zero-seven. Red Tornado, one-six._

I still find that incredibly cool.

"That's it?" Speedy burst out, startling me out of eye-banging the computer system. I had slipped into a complete state of techno-jealousy. I'm my father's child. "You promised us a real look inside, not a glorified backstage pass."

"It's a first step." Aquaman told him. "You've been granted access few others get."

"Oh really?" Speedy gestured up towards the glass panes on the joint between the walls and the ceiling. The windows were lined with people taking snapshots and pressing their noses against the glass. "Who cares what side of the glass we're on."

Point: Speedy

"Roy, you just need to be patient." GA said, not unkindly but still with a firm 'knock it off' tone to his voice.

"What I _need_ is respect." Speedy snapped. He turned on the boys and I, who were transfixed, almost as if we were watching a car wreck. You wanted to stop staring, but you couldn't. "They're treating us like _kids_! Worse, like _sidekicks_." He said the word as if it were a dreadful curse. Like 'mudblood'. "We deserve better than this." He looked at us expectantly, as if he wanted us to jump up and picket the Hall until we became Justice League members.

Obviously that isn't what we did.

My eyes twitched around the room, first landing on Robin, then Kaldur before resting on Wally. None of them seemed to want to protest either.

"You're kidding, right? You're playing their game! Why? Because you think they play fair? Today was supposed to be _the_ day." He enforced his disagreement of the situation with a flurry of elaborate hand gestures. "Step one of becoming full-fledged members of the League."

"Well, sure." Wally interjected. "But I thought step one was a tour of the H.Q."

"Except the Hall isn't the League's real H.Q." Okay, I will admit my eyes nearly fell out of my head, they widened so much. "I bet they never told you. It's just a false front for tourists, and a pit-stop for catching Zeta-beam teleporter tubes to the real thing. An orbiting satellite called the Watchtower."

Okay, mind officially fucked.

And from the looks of amazement on Wally's face-which was the only one I could see from my vantage point on the floor-I wasn't the only one.

Every eye fell on Green Arrow, who practically started twitching. He smiled weakly, a 'please don't hit me' kind of smile.

"I know, I know, but I thought maybe we could make an exception." Batman gave Green Arrow his signature squint of doom. Y'know, the one that could melt through the back of your skull. "Or not." I can safely say never in my life have I not wanted to be a grown man in a green leotard as much as I didn't want to be a grown man in a green leotard at that exact moment.

"You're not helping your cause here son." Aquaman piped in. "Stand down."

"Or what?" Roy snapped. "You'll send me to my room? And I'm _not_ your son. I'm not even his. I thought I was his partner. Not anymore." He reached up plucked his little yellow cap from his little orange head and threw it to the ground. I had the resist the urge to fake faint. Everyone else seemed actually unsettled by Roy, who proceeded to storm out of the room. He paused as he passed the boys and I. "Guess they're right about you _three_." He said the last word carefully, looking pointedly at me from my position on the floor, just so I knew exactly who he was excluding. "You're not ready." And then he was gone.

Before anyone could pass comment on Speedy's tantrum the computer monitor beeped and Superman appeared onscreen.

"Superman to Justice League. There's been an explosion at Project Cadmus. It's on fire."

"I've had my suspicions about Cadmus." Batman said. "This may present the perfect opportunity to-" He was interrupted by another beep sounding through the library. A second window opened on the computer screen, this one showing Zatara.

"Zatara to Justice League. The sorcerer Wotan is using the Amulet of Aten to blot out the sun. Requesting full League response"

Mmkay, that's way more interesting than a gas leak.

"Superman?" Bats asked, turning his attention to the larger of the two screens again.

"It's a small fire. Local authorities have it under control." He assured. _Then why tell us at all?_

"Cadmus can wait." Batman pushed a random-well, obviously it wasn't random to him, 'cause he knew what it did-button on the keyboard. "All Leaguers rendezvous at Zatara's co-ordinance. Batman out." He turned on us. "Stay put."

_Ummmm, excuse me?_

"What!" Robin exclaimed. "Why?"  
"This is a League mission." Aquaman told us.

"You're not trained." Flash added.

"Since _when_?" Wally demanded.

"I meant you're not training to work as part of _this_ team."

"There will be other missions." Aquaman promised us. "When you're ready."

"But for now, stay put." I ground my back teeth together in the hopes of keeping my tongue. I did not appreciate being treated like a misbehaved dog. I wasn't going to say anything though. My position wasn't stable enough for me to throw a tantrum like Speedy's. Batman, Aquaman and Flash left through the Zeta-tubes, Green Arrow, Tornado and Manhunter in their wake. We were left alone in the library, fuming.

" ''When we're ready'. How are we ever supposed to be ready when they treat us like sidekicks?" Kid Flash wondered aloud in agitation.

"My mentor, my king. I thought he trusted me." Kaldur cast his eyes to the floor, turmoil showing in their silvery depths. Oh, I got all poetic there for a sec. I reached over and slipped my hand into his, squeezing it reassuringly.

"S'okay Kaldur. It's a natural paternal instinct. He's just trying to keep you safe, even if he isn't consciously aware of that fact." He looked down at me and smiled, though it was wan and without any real surety behind it.

"There's a difference between wanting to protect us and blatantly not telling us _anything_ Brooke." Kid informed me dryly. "They won't even trust us with the basics. They've got a secret H.Q. _in space_. _Space_ space."

"Yeah, that really is a bitch slap, innit?"

"What else are they not telling us?" Kaldur sighed.

"I have a better question." Robin said. "Why didn't we leave with Speedy?"

_Some of us wouldn't be greeted with open arms._

"What is Project Cadmus?" Kaldur asked.

"Project Cadmus is a genetic engineering project founded by Dabney Donovan. They used to work out of what used to be an abandoned aqueduct outside of Metropolis but they moved to DC 'couple years back." I answered without thinking. "According to S.H.I.E.L.D. databases it's now under the management of Dr. Mark Desmond, Amanda Spence and Guardian." Kid let out an exasperated sigh.

"It sounds boring." he whined. "And what S.H.I.E.L.D.?" I just shrugged, having totally forgotten I wasn't meant to mention it.

"How's about I try make it a little more interesting." Robin sauntered over to the computer system. He taped away at a few keys.

_Access denied._

"Yeah, that's likely." I scoffed. Robin shot me a grin before continuing to attack the system. After mere seconds he had full access to everything the League had on Cadmus. And then some.

"Alright. Project Cadmus. Genetics lab here in DC. That's it!"

"Congrats Brooke, you know more about Cadmus than the JLA." Kid patted me on the shoulder.

"Ha-bloody-ha Kid. So, we've got diddly squat on Cadmus. But if Batman thinks it's suspicious. . ."

"Maybe we should investigate." Robin finished for me.

"Solve their case before they do." Aqualad smiled.

"And then shove it in their faces!" I giggled malevolently. When no one joined in I sobered. "Or, y'know, _not_…we could not do that…not doing that is also an option."

"It would be poetic justice." Aqualad pointed out.

"And they're all about justice." Robin snickered.

"But they said stay put." Aqualad reminded us.

I sighed internally. "And if we were Labradors, we would stay put. We would stay here where they left us, in the hopes of getting a treat. But we're four-_ish_ super smart-_ish_ teenage superheroes!" As an afterthought I added, "Like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, except we're not green…or turtles…but Robin is a sort-of ninja, and I'm an almost-ninja, so really we're not that far off." I scratched my chin while glancing between the three boys in front of me. "What was my point? Do any of you remember?"

"Did you ever have one?" Robin asked, suppressing a snicker.

"Probably not. Anyways, shall we be off?"

"Wait, are we going to Cadmus? Cause if you're going, I'm going." Kid slinked his arm around my shoulders. "Rob?"

"Duh! No way am I stayin' here." The three of us turned on Kaldur. He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot as we stared him out of it.

_C'mon buddy, resistance is futile._

"Just like that? We're a team on a mission?"

"We didn't come here for a playdate." Robin pointed out. Kaldur mulled it over for another moment, then smiled with more rebellious menace than I would've thought possible.

"_Sweet_!" I giggled, wrapping one hand around Robin's waist, the other around Kid's and pulling them to my sides in a little squeezy hug. "When do we leave?"

**AN: Hi! So, I've had this character floating around in my head since I saw Young Justice-actually since I watched the first Iron Man movie, but she was elaborated a lot when YJ came about, so I was like, why not?**

**Yeah, so Brooklyn is the daughter of Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man (Marvel in my DC. Such a badass!) and has the ability to control the four elements-if unfamiliar, watch _The Legend of Korra_. She was only recently taken on as Batman's 2****nd**** sidekick even though the Avengers have been dead for in or around three years. What else should you guys know…oh, before anyone asks the question 'what about Thor, he's the God of Thunder, no way is he dead' I'm going with the story set in The Next Avengers (animated cartoon movie thing) in which he left Earth for Asgard when his father, Odin, died. Or was he killed? Can't remember! Uh, too many comic books, not enough memory. Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, Thor. So, he's not dead. Cameo, maybe? This is only chapter one, so I think I'm getting ahead of myself a little.**

**Hmmm…oh, and about Brooke's powers. She has never known her mother, has absolutely no idea who she is. Broke's father had always told her that she was the product of a summer fling between two young adults and her mother wasn't able to take care of her. Blah blah blah, boring boring boring, the sob story was needed for character building. He point is Brooklyn was lied to her whole life about the identity of her mother, but said mother's identity died with the Avengers (dun dun DUN!) Her powers come from her mother, but she doesn't know why. Is Brooklyn a mutant? Demon baby? Alien-human hybrid?**

**You'll probably all have guessed by the time I do my big reveal, so what I intended as "OH MY GOD I NEVER WOULD'VE SEEN THAT COMING!" will really be "ha ha, I fuckin' knew it."**

**Oh, and I have a tendency to swear…a lot… but I'm trying to tone it down. I'm gonna try and stick to a quota of one or two bad swear word per chapter. Unless Brooke goes off on a rant, in which I will use up around nine chapters worth of curse word stamps. Like Pepsi points!**

**Another thing (God, I'm annoying myself at this stage). ****_I_**** know that ****_you_**** know from the title of this story that Brooklyn's alter ego is named Havok (taken from Marvel, so sorry Alex Summers! If I ever do a cross over, you don't get to be in it) so some of you may wonder why I didn't just introduce her as Havok from the very start. Well, see, her choosing her name during the team's first mission is meant to be symbolic of Brooke finally finding herself amongst this team. It's a very-shitty very-forced totally pointless metaphor…kinda. My terribe attempt at being John Green. Can you tell I just re-read all of his books back to back and spend at least an hour a day watching vlogbrothers religiously?**

**Anything else. . . ? Nope, I think that covers it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! Reviews are much loved! I really hope you liked it! And if you didn't…sorry :)**

**Stay whelmed my darlings!**

**-skullcandy216**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey everyone! A massive, massive thank you to Bree, Chris, Leigh-Anne, piggythelaw, Writers and Read, EvilCheesecake437 and ValeLucyandtheWeirdnessClub for reviewing. Thanks to everyone who followed/favourited/read chapter 1. **

**So, here's chapter 2. Judging by my current progress I can cover an episode in about two chapters, which means this story will be...*gets calculator* HOLY SHIT! 52 chapters long! Okay, that's a lot...yikes**

**Diclaimer: If I owned DC comics I wouldn't be here on because Brooklyn would have her own series, and action figures and little t-shirts with her face on them and all that other stuff.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Cadmus n' Stuff**

**WASHINGTON, DC  
****July 4  
****11:26 EDT****  
**

"Why couldn't we stop at KFC?"

Aqualad sighed for what felt like the hundredth time after I asked for what felt like the hundredth time. In approximation, the number of times I had asked to stop at a fast food restaurant was closer to seven. Aqualad, however, did seem to be doing an infinite amount of sighing.

"We can't Brooke." Robin groaned. "It took us forever to get here, so we can't waste any more time waiting in line for a bucket of chicken.

"Will you two shut up?" Kid Flash growled. "You're making me so hungry I'm contemplating cooking and eating Aqualad." We all took this opportunity to stare at Aqualad with round doe-like eyes.

"Bet he tastes like fish fingers." I said in a dreamy voice.

"It would fair us well to focus on the task at hand." He gestured in front of us. Sure enough, you could just make out the silhouette of a building behind a pillar of smoke. "We have arrived."

"Sweet! See you there." Kid Flash ditched his bike and sped off, nothing but a streak of yellow and red. I sighed, kicked the motorcycle up a gear and shot off after him.

_Thank you Uncle Hawkeye, for teaching me how to drive off road and not crack my skull open_.

We rounded the corner just in time to see KF run up the side of the Cadmus building, drop off two men in lab coats and making a rather amusing attempt to gain traction on the wall.

"So smooth. I'll get him." Robin murmured, though his face was alight with excitement. He disappeared from sight almost instantly.

"Does Kid Flash always have to run ahead?" Kaldur asked me. I shrugged.

"You've been here longer than me darlin'. But taking a wild guess, I'd say yeah." I sprinted around the corner as he was about to say something. Probably 'something plan something', but I'm a woman of action. I skidded to a stop by the fire truck. The firemen stared at me quizzically.

"Hi!" I said brightly, just to break the silence really.

"Who're you?" one guy asked.

Um….shit.

"Doesn't matter. Do you know how many people are inside?"

"Not many. Those two on the roof plus one or two others maybe." So helpful.

"Uh, thanks." I ran up to the base of the building and used the air to push myself up to the window. One day I was going to teach myself to fly. Until then I was stuck with jumping over buildings in a single bound. Still moderately cool, but flying's _flying_. I landed rather gracefully on the ledge, only cartwheeling back a little bit. Robin was helping Kid Flash up next to me.

"I've got the fire and…" I looked down just in time to see Aqualad shoot up on a whirlwind platform thing. "Aqualad's got the guys on the roof. You two check for any other techies that got stuck. Sound good?"

"Who died and made you leader?" Kid Flash asked, only half joking.

"Please do not use the word 'died' or any of its variants when you're in a burning building. It doesn't do well with moral." I didn't give him time to reply. I dashed across the room to where the smoke was thickest. Half my concentration was devoted to clearing the air around me so I could breath. The other half was focused on the fire. I spread my arms out at either side of me and let Thor's voice trickle into my ears, giving me simple steps on putting out fires. _Become aware of everything around you_. My powers were all about awareness, aware of the energy inside you and everything around you. The connection between each molecule in the air, each particle of earth beneath your feet, every drop of water in a rushing stream. I turned on my sixth sense, opened my third eye, whatever you want to call it. I did the thing that made time slow to a glacial drip filled with nothing but me and the infinite energy around me. And, as per step two, I seized all of that energy and used it to crush the energy of the fire. Nothing happened at first-the edges receded slightly, the pyre got almost immeasurably smaller. And then the accumulative weight of the force pushing in was too much for the outward force to bear, and the fire collapsed, winking out into a tiny spark before disappearing forever.

"There." I said happily, hands on my hips. "That's me done." I wheeled around and sprinted down the corridors, calling out for the boys. I finally found the three of them in a little office, Robin at the computer, Kid and Aqualad rummaging through files.

"What took you so long?" Robin asked without looking up.

"Fire was fine. Finding you guys, not so much. Seriously, I'm not _overly_ familiar with American culture but when I scream out Marco you're supposed to say Polo, right?"  
"That's only in swimming pools."

"Thank you Kid, for that priceless nugget of wisdom. So what're we doing?"

"We're investigating." Robin told me.

"Okay." I glanced around the shoe closet of an office. "I'll investigate over here then, shall I?"

"Wait, did you hear that?" Kid asked, whipping his head around like a mirkat. Aqualad stepped out into the hallway and froze. We ran out to join him, though I saw nothing but closed elevator doors.

"There was something in the…" he trailed off.

"Elevators should be locked down." Kid Flash said as Robin ran past him. He lunged forward and pressed the down button on the elevator panel.

"This is wrong." He brought up his wrist computer and did whatever he did, and informed us that we were looking at an express elevator built for gigantic skyscrapers. Not two story buildings.

"So what does it mean?" I asked aloud, to no one in particular.

"Only one way to find out." Kaldur said as he wrestled the doors open. Which was very impressive, to say the least. We came to the edge and peered down. Not bottom stared back at us.

"That's why they need an express elevator." Robin unhooked his grappling gun from his belt and shot the ceiling. Four seconds later he was out of sight. Kid Flash and Aqualad exchanged a look before Kaldur jumped in and caught hold of the line. Kid turned to me. "Ladies first?"

"Nah, you're oright." I stepped into the open air of the elevator shaft and dropped like a stone. Once I passed Aqualad I manipulated the air beneath me, making it grow denser and denser until it acted as a cushion for me to land on. By the time I had stopped completely, I was at sub-level 27. Robin had reached the end of his line at sub-level 26. What amazing timing I have. "How far does it go?" I asked Robin as he swung onto the ledge by the shaft doors. I climbed up so I was sitting next to him. Seconds later Aqualad descended into view, Kid not far behind.

"Warn a guy next time you decide to free fall down an elevator shaft, okay?" he scolded me.

"Aw, you were worried!" I got up on my tip-toes and ruffled his hair. "So adorable."

"Not so much worried as alarmed I had let someone fall to their death." He grumbled.

"Just admit it Kid, you adore me."

"I really don't-"

"You love me."

"I-"

"You're _in_ love with me."

"Dude, now's not the time-"

"You want to bear my children." This got them all to shut up. As the elevator doors slid open behind me I said, "And as flattered as I am, this is neither the time nor the place for any relationship between you and I to unfold." I turned on my heel and sauntered off down the corridor. "Come along boys." I called after them. "Let's not wait for the grass to grow."

"What even _was_ that?" I heard Kid Flash ask.

"You really think I know?" This from Robin.

"She does that a lot though. Have full blown conversations with herself and then end them as if they were your idea and you should be ashamed for suggesting something so stupid."

"She can also hear you." I reminded them. "Now hurry up. As much as I like playing leader I find it creepy that you're all just blindly doing what I say." As an answer Kid shot off ahead…again.

"Wait!" Aqualad whisper-shouted. And he did wait. Though it had more to do with the massive elephant sized troll thingies in his way than Aqualad's request. He made a quick stop, falling over and almost getting squished by one of the giant Orks. He managed to weave his way between their gargantuan legs and scrambled to his feet beside us. We all stared on as a…herd of the creatures made their way down the passage. They all seemed to have a little gargoyle type monster on their shoulders. One of said gargoyle creatures looked directly at us, it's little horns flashy.

My eyes fogged over with a grey haze I couldn't explain. I felt like something was pulling on my mind, dragging something out. And then it was gone.

"No, nothing odd going on here." Aqualad said. _Exactly what I was thinking. _We watched as the perfectly normal giant troll elephants made their way down the corridor before we decided to do some exploring. We cut through endless hallways and creepy looking labs until we came to a door that wouldn't open on the first try.

"Robin, if you would be so kind." I gestured towards the door. He nodded-all business-and started to hack into the system. After a few seconds the panel door flung open. Considering what was on the other side, I kinda wished they'd stayed closed.

"Okay, I'm officially whelmed." Robin stated. I couldn't help but agree. Stacked along either side of the chamber, piled on top of each other were rows and rows of jars containing…electric bug thingies. Imagine the ugliest Pokémon you can think of, then breed it with Golem from Lord of the Rings and hit it with a truck. The resulting monstrosity is probably the closest you will come to the nasty-ass beetles inside those pods. Each pod crackled with an electric current that made the hairs on my arms stand to attention. Said current was being siphoned from each of the bugs into what looked like a power generator.

"This is how they hide this massive underground facility from the world." Kid Flash explained for our benefit. As if we hadn't already put two and two together. "The real Cadmus isn't on the grid. It generates its own power with these…things. Must be what they're bred for."

"Ick." I mumbled as I walked along the line of capsules.

"Of course." Aqualad said. "Even the name is a clue. The Cadmus of myth created a new race by sowing dragon's teeth into the earth."

"And this Cadmus creates new life too." Robin elaborated, making his way towards the computer. He pulled a USB cable from his glove and slipped it into a port in the desktop. "Let's find out why." Tappy tappy, typy typy. You've caught on by now, right? "They all 'em genomorphs." He scrolled through the files, bringing up pictures of nasty looking creatures that looked like they were straight off the set of a Doctor Who episode. "Whoa! Look at the stats on these things! Super strength, telepathy, razor claws. These are living weapons!"

"They're engineering an army, but for who?" Kid asked. I refrained myself from telling him it was actually 'but for whom'. Only just.

"Wait, there's something else." Robin tapped a few more keys and brought a file on something called Project Kr.

"What d'you suppose that might be?" I murmured.

"The files triple encrypted. I can't-"

"Don't move!" The voice that shouted from behind us was strong and commanding, a voice that you listened to, that you obeyed. So naturally I did exactly the opposite and whipped around to see who the voice belonged to. A guy in a shiny gold helmet ran towards us, flanked by a pack of creepy gargoyle things. The guy in the helmet faltered when he got closer to us. He seemed to recognise the boys.

"Robin? Aqualad? Kid Flash?" he paused when he reached me, uncertainty etched in his blue eyes. "And you are?"

"This not having a name thing is starting to piss me off." I grumbled low enough that only the others could hear me. Kid Flash snickered, so I elbowed him lightly in the gut. "At least he got _your_ name right."

"I know you." Aqualad breathed. "Guardian. A hero."

"I do my best."

"Then what're you doing here?" Kid asked.

"I think that's my question boys." Oh, okay. That one hurt a little. I mean, I _know_ my boobs haven't come in yet but I'm almost certain my gender is still pretty obvious. Maybe I should grow my hair out again. "I'm chief of security. You're trespassing." Guardian continued. "But we can call the Justice League. Figure this out." His patronising tone set my nerves on edge.

"You think the League's gonna approve of you breeding weapons?" Kid demanded.

"Weapons?" Guardian-for the most part-looked genuinely confused. "What're you…what've I…" The itty bitty gargoyle camping out on Guardians shoulder turned towards his mode of transportation. It's little horns glowed with a bright red light. Guardian held his head, as if something was causing him pain. Three guesses what it was. "My head." Suddenly, his eyes-glazed with a new kind of ferocity-snapped open. "Take 'em down hard! No mercy!" At his command the creatures sprang into action. Robin shot out in front of us and broke a smoke pellet. Thick fog filled the space around us. I saw Robin raise his arm, fire his grappling gun, give me a thumbs up and disappear as his line retracted.

"Twat." I grumbled, clicking my fingers so fireballs bloomed to life in each hand. I hurled one at a gremlin thing that danced on the edge of my vision. It caught it square in the chest and the creature fell to the ground, smoke rising from the charred skin of its midsection. So they weren't flame retardant. _Sweet_. Four more creatures came running at me and I snapped my palm against the air, ending an invisible wave crashing into them. The two in front caught the others as they propelled backwards. I ducked a swipe from another one, swept its legs out from under it and sent another fireball into the face of a different troll. I sprang back onto my feet just in time to catch one of the creatures Kid Flash had thrown off his back. I wrapped my fingers around its throat and tried my best to ignore its screams of pain. I wasn't killing it. I tried not to kill things on principle (except for spiders) but sometimes you couldn't avoid causing a creepy little gargoyle thingie an enormous amount of agony. I dropped the genomorph-that's the politically correct term, right?-and jabbed my elbow into the jaw of one that had tried to sneak up behind me. I sent a roundhouse kick into the stomach of another, knocking it into the wall. I felt something cold clamp around my bare forearm and turned, rather stupidly, as a genomorph dragged its claws down. I jerked my head away but its surprisingly sharp nails scraped down my cheek, blood immediately pouring from the three matching tears. I yelped, struck out wildly and made contact with its throat.

Doesn't matter how big your opponent is, they've all got a neck and a groin.

_Oh, Uncle Hawkeye, you never let me down_.

As the creature staggered back I caught sight of Aqualad pushing a very electrocuted Guardian away. I ran over, wiping the blood from my cheek with the back of my hand. Kid Flash's eyes widened when he saw me.

"What happened to your-"

"Forget it." I snapped. "Let's just go." I took off down the corridor as alarms began to sound. We caught up with Robin after turning a few corners. He was busy hacking into yet another computer, this one undoubtedly controlling the door he was stooped in front of. The growling of the genomorphs behind us grew louder and louder.

"Way to be a team player Rob!" Kid said sarcastically.

"Weren't you right behind me?"

"Such an _arsehole_." I growled, smacking the back of Robins head not very lightly. He barely winced, a smug smile crossing his lips as the elevator doors slid open. Robin, Kid Flash and I ducked inside, waiting for Aqualad who was sprinting down the hallway. He tumbled into the hatch, panting hard. Robin was tinkering with the control panel by my side, the genomorphs advancing fast. "C'mon Rob, we need to close the doors. Now. Like, _right now_!

"I'm trying!" he shouted, still typing furiously. The genomorphs were barely twenty feet away.

"Oh, for the love of-" I planted my feet firmly, clicked my fingers, curled the spark in my palm and shot of twin streams of fire through the elevator door. A thick wall of flame appeared right in front of the creatures. They screamed as they were engulfed, high pitched keening that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I kept the stream going, beads of sweat forming on my forehead as I fed my energy into the flames, the genomorphs secured behind the wall. Finally, after what felt like four hours, but was probably closer to, like, six seconds, the panel doors slid shut, closing us off from the now burning genomorphs. The fire died out and I sucked in a breath, rubbing my eyes with the heels of my palms. When I dropped my hands and turned to the others I was met by two expressions of complete shock. Robin, however, smiled at me as if everything was normal. Which I thought it was.

"What?" I asked Kid and Aqualad.

"Since when were you a…a…a frickin' flamethrower?" Kid stammered.

"Since always. Have you never seen me do it before?"

"Uh, no! No we haven't."

"Oh, well now you have." The elevator jerked to life beneath our feet, and I glanced at the screen that told you what floor you were on. According to said screen, we were going deeper into Cadmus, not up and out. Which, y'know, is kinda the direction I wanted to go.

My cheek really stung.

"We're going down?" Aqualad asked Robin angrily.

"Dude, out is up!" Kid Flash exclaimed, pointing towards the ceiling.

"Excuse me? Project Kr? It's _down_ on sub-level 52."

"This is out of control." Aqualad rubbed the back of his neck gruffly. "Perhaps…perhaps we should contact the League."

"Nuh-uh!" He started, crooking an eyebrow at me curiously. "We can't call them now. Sure, shit has hit the fan, but we can get ourselves out of this. We're _superheroes_!" Well…kinda. "And _no way_ am I asking Batman to help us out. His disappointment stare can fry through bone!"

"Yeah, we got ourselves into this. We'll get ourselves out." Robin declared, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. Aqualad and Kid Flash didn't seem as convinced.

The elevator doors slid open, revealing…there really is no way to describe it. The walls-which looked like they were part of an organ-seemed to pulse and drip, as if we were actually inside someone's heart. The ground beneath my feet was squishy, pulling down on my boots like wet sand. Parts of the walls glowed purple on the pink background. Robin and I dashed ahead, coming to a stop at the junction.

"Which way?" Aqualad asked, sounding kinda-okay, _really_-annoyed.

"Yeah, bizarre looking hallway one, or bizarre looking hallway two?"

"Should we do eeny-meeny-miny-moe?" I asked, partly to lighten the mood but mostly because that seemed the best solution.

"HOLD!" We all whipped around to see a guy standing smack-bang in the middle of bizarre looking hallway one. Well, I say guy. He was guy-shaped, and had the voice of a guy, but really when you had massive horns and grey skin you could be any gender. Previously mentioned massive horns glowed red-just like the horns of the like genomorph that rested on Guardians shoulder-and suddenly two barrels rose into the air and rocketed towards our heads. We all ducked as the barrels exploded in a shower of sparks. I winced as the embers landed on my bare shoulders, but the feeling was less unpleasant than…familiar. Wincing was more of a natural reaction than something of actual necessity. Robin hurled one of his disks at the creature, who stopped it before it touched him. We turned and high-tailed it down bizarre looking hallway two as more barrels shot after us, exploding ten feet behind. As I rounded the corner I saw Kid crash into a woman, who fell flat on her face, Kid spinning across the floor behind her. We slipped through the gap in the Project Kr doors, which were propped open by a canister Kid Flash had shoved in between them. Robin was already messing with the computer, but I barely noticed. I was too caught up in the pod, which held centre point in the little cavern we were trapped in. Kid called the others over and pushed a button on the control panel, switching on the lights inside the capsule.

Inside the pod was Superman.

Or, well, a little Superman.

Robin hacked into the computer, reading off the stats. The little Superman was Superboy. A force-grown clone, only sixteen weeks old. Made from the DNA of-you guessed it-Superman.

"Well…that sucks."

"No way the big guy knows about this!" Kid said.

"Solar suit allows him to absorb yellow sun radiations twenty-four seven." Robin continued.

"And these…creatures?" Aqualad asked.

"Genomorph gnomes. Telepathic. Force-feeding him an education."

"And you can guess what else." Kid added grimly. "They're making a slave out of, well, Superman's son."

"Now we contact the League." Aqualad said, tapping his belt buckle, which apparently was his com link. I checked my own, greeted by nothing but static.

"No signal." Robin clarified.

"We're in too deep. Literally." This from Kid Flash. He looked over his shoulder at Superboy, still trapped in his pod. "This is wrong."

"We can't leave him like this."

"Set him free." Aqualad ordered. Robin nodded once before bringing up his wrist computer again. Seconds later the latches on Superboys capsule flew open. The pressure released with a loud hiss and a plume of steam shot into the air. The doors of the pod slid away, and for a moment nothing happened. Superboy stayed completely motionless. Slowly, he curled his fingers into a fist, knuckles cracking loudly. The gegnomes above his head did their glowy horn thing, and all of a sudden his eyes snapped open.

He did not look happy.

He lunged toward us with incredible speed (faster than a speeding bullet even. _Ha ha_) and tackled Aqualad to the floor. He started laying into Kaldur, but Kid and Robin ran forward and tried to hold back his arms.

"Hang on Supey." Kid groaned as I helped Robin pin back his arm.

"We're on your side!" Superboy didn't seem to care as he pulled back the arm Kid was holding and drove his fist into his face. Kid flew backwards, crashing through a glass case, landing hard. Robin set off a smoke bomb in Superboys face and as he stumbled back Aqualad kicked out, sending him rocketing into the computer system. Robins attempt at electrocution did little more than agitate Supey, resulting in Robin being pinned to the floor with Superboys heel crushing his ribs. I threw a fireball. Which did absolutely nothing more than convince Superboy to abandon Robin for a fully conscious opponent. I snapped my palms against the air, only causing him to stumble back. I took my opportunity, driving a kick into his stomach and following in with another to his knee. I went to kick again but he caught my leg with humiliating ease, pounded his fist against my already injured cheek and threw me across the room. I smacked off of a barrel and slid down to the floor in a heap. My head felt as if it were about to explode. My ears rang, my eyes were foggy. Blackness licked at the edges of my visions, but I refused to let unconsciousness claim me. Instead I focused on my hands. I channelled the anger and fear coursing through me at that moment, accumulating the energy these emotions created in my palms.

_It's all about energy_.

I clenched my hands into fists, so tightly my nails felt shallow cuts on my skin. After a moment my fists glowed with a white hot fire, and I smirked. Rising on very shaky legs, I looked around the room. KF and Robin were both down; Aqualad and Superboy were taking turns hitting each other. And from the looks of it, Aqualad was losing. When Aqualad did eventually fall Superboy turned on me. He roared, lumbering towards me way too fast to be fair. I placed one foot behind the other and waited for the right second, punching him square in the face when the timing was right. My blow, which should have crushed his skull inwards, killing him instantly, made him stumble back a few steps. He growled, coming forward with his own punch, which I only barely managed to block. Again and again he attacked, me only getting a hit it here and there. No way could I beat him. I was just stalling. But stalling for what? For the others to wake up? Yeah, we all know how well they faired against Superboy. I was the last one standing out of shear luck. I got a good roundhouse kick in, connecting with his temple. That should've been it. Game over. But of course that's not what happened, because nothing goes right for me anymore. Superboy drabbed me by my hair and brought his knee into my stomach. I doubled over and he wrapped his fingers around my throat. I clawed at his hands, but his grip never lessened. I tried to bring up my legs, knee him in the balls maybe, but my feet weighed a ton each. My mind fogged over again, the blood rushing through my veins the loudest sound imaginable. The blackness was back, little spots dancing across my eyes. I gave in this time. I let the darkness pull me under.

The dark greeted me warmly, like an old friend.

And then, nothing.

**So that's chapter 2. I hope you liked it! Please leave a review if you did, or if you didn't. Chapter 3 will be up…soon? Hopefully, but I've got a busy week-and painful-week ahead of me.**

**Stay whelmed**

**-skullcandy**

**PS: ValeLucyandtheWeirdnessClub: **no, not really. Sorry! But can I ask why you think I do? Is there something missing? Does Brooklyn need a sarcastic best friend, or an evil twin brother…or a servant! Maybe not servant. Just let me know, yeah?


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hiya! Massive thanks to piggythelaw, Grayson's Gal, ValeLucyandtheWeirdnessClub and EvilCheesecake437 for reviewing. Just so you guys know I was kinda joking about the whole sarcastic best friend evil twin thing but…hehe *squirms* I really didn't think anyone would take me seriously. The sooner I learn that sarcasm cannot be conveyed textually the better.**

**Thanks to everyone who favourited/followed/readthe last chapter. Hope you enjoy this one!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned DC comics I wouldn't be on here because Brooklyn would have her own series, and action figures and little t-shirts with her face on them and all that other stuff.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: So We're a Team Now?**

**WASHINGTON, DC  
****JULY 5  
****3:14 EDT****  
**

_Time is running short…_

No, five more minutes.

_You must awaken…_

But I really don't want-

_You must awaken NOW!_

And so, I awakened, though I really didn't want to. I had been dreaming about pandas…

The first thing I registered upon being shouted awake was that I was in a glass case. Secondly that my hands were tied. Thirdly that Superboy was trying to fry holes into my skull. I held his gaze for a long moment, trying my best not to blink.

"You're very stare-y." I told him wryly.

"What do you want?" Kid demanded from his pod next to mine. Robin was to my right, Kid to my left and from what I could tell Aqualad was on Kid's other side. "Quit staring!" Kid shouted. "You're creeping me out!"

"KF, Bro-" Robin stopped himself before he said my full name. Can't risk the enemy finding out my secret I.D. "How's about we not tick off the guy who can fry us with a look?" We all went quiet after that. Superboy continued to stare, making the silence considerably more awkward.

"So I've been thinking about names." I shared, to break the insane pressure that had been building between the five or us.

"Now?" Robin chuckled. "You're coming up with a name now?"

"No, not really. I still can't think of anything. But it needs to be dramatic! Catchy, y'know." I wiggled my toes, which were going numb in my boots. "Possibly one word."

"You mess with fire a lot." Kid observed. "How about…Pyro? Or Magma? Or…Flamethrower?"

"Ninety per cent sure the first two are taken and I shant even dignify the third with a response."

"Did you really just say 'shant'?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"What's right with it?"

"Will you two _shut up_!" Robin hissed. I stuck my tongue out at him, but stopped talking just the same. Instead I chose to partake in another staring contest with Superboy. Just before a winner was declared-I could feel him caving-Aqualad spoke up.

"We only sought to help you."

"Yeah!" Kid Flash piled on. "We free you and you turn on us. How's that for grat-"

"Kid, please, be quiet now." Which, from Aqualad, was the same as 'Oh my God will you shut the fuck up!' "I believe our new friend was not in full control of his actions."

"W-what…what if I wasn't?" Superboy asked, which startled us all because he had never done more than grunt. He also growled and roared and made various other animal-like noises, but talking had never been on his list of sound production.

"He can talk?" Kid asked in astonishment. I wanted to kick him so badly it was actually painful.

"Yes, _he_ can." said Superboy, joining us in staring at Kid with disappointment and annoyance.

"What? It's not like I called him an 'it'."

"I beg of you, shut the shit up." I turned-well, not so much turned, since I was chained to the wall-to address Superboy. "So, who taught you how to speak?"

"It was the genomorphs, wasn't it?" Aqualad asked.

"They taught me much. I can read. Write. I know the names of things."

"Have you ever seen them?" Robin asked. "Have they ever actually let you see the sky? Or the sun?"

"Images are implanted in my mind but, no, I have not _seen_ them." A surge of pity welled up in my chest. It was all so…sad. Never even seen the things we take for granted every day. Really makes you think.

"Do you know what you are?" I asked Superboy softly, as if I was approaching a frightened badger instead of a person. Superboy didn't miss a beat. He sang off his stat sheet, as if it had been hardwired into his DNA. Now that I think about it, it probably was. He was a clone designed to replace Superman if he perished, or terminate him should he go darkside. Cheerful, right?

"To be like Superman is a worthy aspiration." Aqualad said. "But like Superman you deserve a life of your own. Beyond that solar suit. Beyond your pod. Beyond Cadmus."  
"I live because of Cadmus!" Superboy snarled. "It is my home!"

"Your home is a test tube." Robin clarified. "We can show you the sun!"

"Pretty sure it's after midnight, but we can show you the moon." Kid corrected.

"We can show you-introduce you-to Superman." added Aqualad.

"But we can't do any of that while we're stuck in here." I smiled as warmly as I could, but what with my bloodied face and mottled bruises the warm was probably overshadowed. "So let us out of these pods, yeah? And we can show you all that you've been missing.

"No, they can't!" A man in a lab coat with a ratty brown ponytail walked through the panel doors, accompanied by dear old Guardian and the woman KF mowed over before. They each had a genome on their shoulder, identical to the ones in Superboys pod. "They'll be…otherwise occupied. Activate the cloning process."

"Pass!" Robin called nonchalantly, as if he was turning down an offer of ice cream. "Batcave's crowded enough."

"Get the weapon back in its pod!" Dr. Ponytail ordered Guardian, who walked up to Superboy, placing a hand on his shoulder. Superboy shook it off, contemplation written across his features. Was he really considering helping us out?  
"Superboy." His gaze locked on mine, not hostile and creepy like before, but touched with a kind of almost-warmth that gave me hope. "Please."

"Don't start thinking now!" Ponytail snapped. As he stalked past Superboy his genome hopped from his shoulder to Supey's, horns glowing in a menacing kinda way. Superboy's eyes fogged over, as if in a trance, and his whole body went rigid. Dr. Ponytail proceeded to give a very Pinocchio-like speech about Superboys status as a weapon, not a quote unquote 'real boy'. Honestly, how clichéd.

The female doctor, who had been positioned at the computer this whole time, hit a few buttons on the desktop which caused metal claw thingies to descend into each of our pods. The rods were tipped with wicked looking needles, an electric current crackled menacingly through the poles. Okay, just calm down, everything's fine. My pep talk wasn't doing much in the field of lowering my racing heart. I had been told repeatedly that one day I would be able to control electricity. And the guy in _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ could do it, so why not me. Though in that exact moment I was about as close to manipulating electrical currents as I was to…pissing Red Bull. As the metallic rods got closer I tried to push a barrier between me and them, but I was too freaked out. I couldn't concentrate enough to expand my mind or become aware or any of that other bullshit.

So, there was nothing I could do except tense up and take it. The needles embedded themselves in my chest and shoulders, filling my whole body with lightning.

Can I just state: electrocution _hurts_.

I groaned, biting the inside of my cheek to stop myself from screaming. Bad idea. My mouth filled up with blood-which I couldn't spit out, so I had to swallow it-and I ended up screaming anyway. My whole body was alight with agony. I'd never been in this much pain before. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration…I have been shot twice. Not to mention my stupid powers with their stupid random growth spurts-but more on that later. The pain I was in now was probably nothing compared to some of the other stuff I've gone through but…the pain your in right now is always so much worse than the pain you went through yesterday, just on account of it being _right now_.

How long I hung there, brains being fried, I don't know. What I do know is that after a prolonged period of time the electricity was cut off and the stars exploding behind my eyes disappeared. I blinked a few times to clear my vision. Just in time to see Superboy fling the chamber door into the corner. I wasn't sure whether I should be happy that I was being saved or terrified that I was about to be choked to death.

Superboy swatted Guardian and the two doctors away as if they were flies as he marched over to our pods.

Yeah, still unclear as to how I should be feeling.

"You here to help us or fry us?" Kid Flash asked. Superboy squinted for a moment in concentration. Mulling the question over?

"Huh." He murmured. "I don't seem to have heat vision so I suppose helping is my only option."

"Are you serious?" I balked, eyes bulging. "You were actually gonna cook us! That is…so uncool."

"Please shut up." Robin said, a faint click sounding as each of his manacles popped open. He hopped out of his pod, rubbing his wrists. "_Finally_! Lucky Batman _isn't_ here. He'd have my head for taking so long."

"Seriously?" Kid Flash asked in a dead tone. "That's what you're worried about? The whole League'll have our heads after tonight!"

"Really Robin, you need to sort out your priorities. Now would you be kind enough to get us out of these pods." I wriggled my shoulders, stretching my numb legs as much as I could. "There's blood dribbling down my collar and it itches like a bastard." Robin pressed a button on the computer station and my pod doors slid open.

"You free Aqualad." Robin told Superboy. "I'll get Kid Mouth and…" he trailed off, giving me an amused look. I groaned.

"That's it! The second we get home I'm taking out a dictionary and choosing the first cool word I see." Robin made quick work of my shackles and soon I was hopping around the chamber on the balls of my feet, trying to force life back into my dead legs. Robin freed Kid at the same time Superboy let Aqualad loose, and the five of us sprinted through the door, leaving Dr. Ponytail and company in our wake. But not before Robin left them a little gift in the form of three little Bat-Bombs (again, not the correct name, but I'm still learning, so sue me).

As we ran through the corridors the little purple boils on the walls started to glow bright red. Yeah, it's as gross as it sounds.

"We are still forty-two levels below ground. "Aqualad reported. "But if we can make the elevator…" We all skidded to a stop as a whole herd of elephant-sized trolls showed up in front of use, effectively blocking aforementioned elevator. Couldn't be puppy sized trolls. Actually, puppy sized trolls would still suck. But puppy-sized elephants…

"Yeah, elevator's out of the question." I glanced up at Aqualad expectantly. "What's plan B boss?" Before I had even finished the glowing boils began to burst, more of the creatures climbing out like baby bees. I was about to make a smart comment _about_ bees when one of the elephant genomorphs brought its front legs crashing to the ground behind us, causing shockwaves to pound through the floor. I swore under my breath, fluently and quite creatively, even as I used the air to propel me onto one of the creature's backs. I clenched one hand into a fist, making it grow hotter and hotter, while with the other hand I clung onto the creature's horns for dear life. I drove my fist into the back of the genomorphs neck, burning through its skin like a knife through butter. The genomorph roared as if crashed to the ground, legs buckling under it. I must've hit a part of its central nervous system. Frying ones cerebellum is not a good idea. I hopped off the quite-dead creature and ran over to Robin and Kid Flash. Aqualad joined us seconds later, but Superboy was still laying into the creatures with extreme prejudice.

"Superboy!" Aqualad shouted. "The goal is escape, not to bury ourselves here!"

"You want escape!?" Superboy yelled, which…really made no sense. Still, he caught on to the arm (leg?) of the creature I had _accidentally_ killed and flung it into the two remaining monsters, knocking them to the floor. Aqualad turned and wrenched the elevator doors open. Robin fired his grappling gun and used it to swing into the safety of the shaft. Kid jumped in and I followed, pushing on the air so I landed gracefully on the ledge. Superboy wrapped his arm around Aqualad's waist and jumped, flying up through the shaft. The only thing is…he didn't fly. After about thirty feet he started to fall, and fall fast. Robin threw a birdarang into the wall, which Aqualad caught hold of just before he plummeted to his death.

"Superman can fly. Why can't I fly?" Superboy asked, sounding grudgingly confused.

"Don't know. But it looks like you can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Still cool." Kid said as he helped Superboy down from the wall.

"Guys!" Robin yelled, just as the whir of the elevator touched my ears. I looked up in time to see it rocket towards us at frightening speed "This'll have to be our exit!"

Superboy kicked the doors out and we all leapt through. I was the last one out and I actually felt the air shift behind me as the elevator passed. Not a nice feeling. A worse feeling was seeing the genomorphs that were waiting for us in the hall. We bombed it down a side hallway, sprinting aimlessly through the never ending corridors. That is until:

"Go left!" I stared at Superboy curiously, but did as instructed. He did live here, I suppose. "Right!"

Which brought us to…a dead end. The only thing in sight was a ventilation shaft.

"Well that's just-"

"Perfect!" Robin interrupted me, using a birdarang to knock out the vent cover.

"Oh!" I breathed, finally catching on. "Now I get it. Oright, one of you'll have to give me a boost. I'm too tiny to reach that high." The five of us clambered into the vent, Robin in front, followed by me, Kid Flash, Aqualad with Superboy bringing up the rear. Speaking of rear…

"Kid! Quit staring at my arse!" I snapped.

"I don't have anywhere else to look." He protested, a weak defence if ever there was one. He sounded far too happy with himself.

"Shh!" Superboy hissed, turning to look behind us. "Listen." I listened, but didn't hear anything. Instead I reached out with my mind and sensed the displacement in the air the genomorphs were causing.

"They're coming!" I screeched, pinching Robin's thigh. "Hurry on! We're screwed as it is!"

"I wouldn't say that." Robin said smartly. "And _ow_, by the way. Cut your frickin' fingernails!"

"Just move!" And so he moved. After a few more minutes of crawling we came to a vent cover that opened up in a hallway. Robin hopped out gracefully, Kid pushed me out so I landed in a heap on the floor, I kicked him in the stomach on his way down so he ended up on the ground next to me, and Aqualad jumped from the vent and looked down at the two of us with marketable annoyance. I propped myself up on my elbow, looking up at his apologetically with wide grey eyes. "Sorry."

I kicked Kid into the shoulder as I stood up, making him whimper in pain even though I'd barely touched him. Apparently I wasn't the only one injured, so that was reassuring. Robin was crouched in the corner, glove computer glowing.

"Watcha doin'?"

"I hacked the motion sensors." he replied smugly. Right on cue there was a loud crash from a nearby room, followed by the sounds of Dr. Ponytail swearing and barking orders. Sweet.

"Still plenty of them between us and out." Robin informed us.

"But I've finally got room to move." Kid fixed his goggles over his eyes and took off up the stairwell. We followed, lagging way, way, _way_ behind (obviously) but I still managed to catch a glimpse of him as he ploughed through a group of genomorphs. Where there more waiting for us at the top of the stairs? Yeah, probably. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, which wasn't all that fast because a)I hadn't slept in a good thirty-something hours (though it was kinda my fault, since I had stayed up the night before playing Minecraft) and b) my cheek was swelling, so I couldn't see very well, and c) I'm pretty sure Superboy had cracked a few of my ribs when he threw me into those barrels. Couple that with the anxiety attack I was just about ready to have, and no way was I running at my top speed.

"More behind us!" Robin yelled, fiddling with his holo-computer. I forced my legs to move faster, the _thump thump thump_ of my boots against stone timed with the pounding of my heart. There was a thundering crash and I glanced over my shoulder. The staircase we had just run up was on its way down, sending debris and genomorphs hurling down onto even _more_ genomorphs. Superboy must've knocked them.

_Good little Superboy_.

We reached the top of the stairs and rocketed into the corridor. Kid Flash was on the ground, rubbing his forehead. I was going to ask him if he was okay, but apparently it wasn't the most pressing matter.

"We're cut off from the street." Aqualad stated.

"Thanks." Kid groaned, still slouched on the floor. "My head hadn't noticed." Superboy ran forward and began trying to open the door. After a few botched attempts he started punching it. Sadly…nothing happened.

"Can't hack this fast enough!" Robin snapped, more massive genomorphs appearing from around the corner. Robin kicked open a door to his right and told us to follow him. We all piled through, only to find more genomorphs-along with a very pissed Guardian-on the other side. Genomorphs filled the hallway on all sides, trapping us. I clicked my fingers, summoning fireballs in each hand, ready to fight. But I didn't get a chance to fight, because the little horns of the little genomes glowed red for a fraction of a second.

That's when I passed out.

* * *

When I came to I was still on the floor, in the same spot I had landed in. Not inside a pod. Remarkable improvement from last time. We were still surrounded by genomorphs, but not one made a move to attack us. The guy-shaped genomorph from earlier stood out from the rest, horns glowing brighter than ever before. Superboy stood up, facing the genomorph. I was afraid he was going to start punching, but he just stared at the genomorph in front of him and then, for no apparent reason I could see, he said "I choose freedom."

I clambered to my feet, butt stiff from landing on the hard floor. The others did the same.

"Guardian?" Aqualad asked, facing the man in the helmet, who was rubbing his head.

"Go. I'll deal with Desmond." I was just about to ask who Desmond was when the throng of genomorphs parted and Dr. Ponytail appeared.

"I think not." he sneered, holding up a vile of neon blue liquid. "Project Blockbuster will give me the power to restore order to Cadmus." And with that he downed the glowing serum in one gulp. He immediately convulsed, doubling over, obviously in pain. I watched with wide eyes as he fell to the floor, glasses dropping from the bridge of his nose. It sounds strange, but he appeared to be…growing. His muscles strained under his lab coat, and eventually ripped through the material, sending strips of fabric in every direction. And yet still he grew larger, skin tearing to reveal a grey stone like layer beneath it. The creature-which was definitely not Dr. Ponytail anymore-stood to its full height, letting out a roar that made my ears hurt. I fisted my hands, ready to attack the first thing that came into range.

"Everyone back!" Guardian ordered, running head-on at the creature that used to be Dr. Pony-oh, wait, Ponytail was Desmond. God, that took me forever to figure out.

And _I'm_ the genius.

Guardian rushed at the thing, which swatted him away with humiliating ease. Guardian was very much unconscious though, so his pride would remain intact until he awoke at least. Superboy was next to try his luck, their fist fight lasting considerably longer. Superboy got in a few good hits but eventually Desmond caught him under the chin, flinging him against the wall. Superboy rolled to his feet and-roaring like a true psychopath-leapt for the creature. Desmond met him mid air, driving them both through the ceiling to the next floor. The boys and I huddled under the hole.

"Okay, that's one way to bust through the ceiling." Robin snickered, firing his grappling gun. He grabbed Kid buy the wrist, turning to me. "Ready to wreak a little havoc?" I gasped, clamping both hands over my mouth. Robin gave me a startled look, as did the others.

"What?" Kid asked, looking around in a panicked fashion. "What is it?"

"_Havoc_." I breathed. "That's it! Havoc! That's my name!" I ran my fingers through my hair excitedly, smiling at them all. "It's catchy, dramatic, one word! It's perfect!"

"Havoc." Kid Flash said, testing it out. "I like it!"

"Suits you." Robin added.

"It does." Aqualad told me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I'm glad you've chosen an identity for yourself, but it would do us well to focus on the matter at hand now." I nodded, using the air to propel myself through the hole in the ceiling. Kid and Robin shot through a second later, Aqualad jumping up after. We stared on as the creature-that-used-to-be-Desmond grabbed Superboy and hauled him off his feet. Supey managed to break free, but Desmon caught onto his leg and threw him over my head, where he crashed into Aqualad. After helping them up Kid rushed at the creature, skidding between its legs as it swung for him. As Desmond turned both Aqualad and Superboy drove their fists into his face, making him stumble. Kid raised himself on all fours and Desmond tripped over him, crashing to the floor. Robin flipped over KF, throwing birdarangs that Des merely swatted away. I hurled a fireball at his head. The remainder of its human skin instantly caught fire, then instantly snuffed out. Not a good sign. My display did, however, manage to grab its attention. It barrelled towards me, letting out a guttural cry. I held my ground, waiting for just the right moment, trying to get my timing just right. I heard Robin shout my name, but I couldn't answer. I had to concentrate. And, when the creature was only around six feet way, I snapped my palms against the air, catching him in the chest with a wave of solid energy. Desmond flew back with such speed and velocity that he ricocheted off the wall, smacking off the ground and rolling until he came to rest at the foot of a pillar, which cracked and crumbled from the impact.

He didn't stay down long. After just a few short seconds he dragged himself to his feet, roared, and sprung towards me. Superboy intercepted him mid-air, the two flying across the room and smacking off of a different pillar. Desmond started laying into Superboy, Aqualad used his water-bearers to yank his arm back, then changed the water into a battle axe and smashed it towards Desmond's head. Atlantian magic. So frickin' cool!

Yet in this instance, completely ineffective. Desmond caught the battle axe and used it to throw Aqualad to the side. Desmond flung Superboy against a nearby pillar, a large portion of the stone falling on his back. Just as Desmond was about to step on Aqualad Kid ran at him, making him falter, but really not doing much good for anyone, since both he and Aqualad ended up hurling through the air too. Ticked off that we were getting our asses handed to us I snapped against the air and hurled chunks of fallen debris at Desmond's head. He staggered under the weight but, naturally, my poorly thought out attack did nothing to stop him from beating Aqualad into the pillar. Said pillar began to crumple and eventually crashed to the ground, making the whole room shake as the ceiling heaved slightly.

"That's it!" Robin cried, fiddling with his computer. "KF, Broo-Havoc, get over here!"

"What's what?" I asked, skidding to a stop beside Kid. Robin filled us in quickly on his plan, telling me to start knocking pillars. Smiling, I dashed over to the nearest one. The boys were doing something else behind my back, luring Dessy into the centre of the room, but I didn't watch. Placing both hands on the pillar I closed my eyes, breathed deeply and sent shockwaves through the stone. It cracked and collapsed after a second, but the effort left me panting and drained. Earth manipulation is _really_ hard. I did the same with another pillar, and another, Aqualad and Superboy helping out. When all the supports had been knocked the ceiling above us started to cave.

"MOVE!" I hollered, grabbing Superboys wrist. There was no way we would get out in time, but I could stop us from getting flattened. I dragged Supey over to where KF and Robin were standing, screaming for Aqualad to get his ass over here. He sprinted over just as the roof came crashing down. I raised my arms over my head, squeezed my eyes closed and put every ounce of energy I had into a forcefield.

So much so that, after a few minutes, and all the debris had finished falling, I passed out.

* * *

"Havoc? Havoc! BROOKLYN!"

Yelping, I jerked upright and thwacked my forehead against something hard. Kid's forehead.

"Ow!" he groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Always knew…you were…hard headed."

"Yeah, and yours is made of cotton candy and Styrofoam." I grumbled, rising shakily to my feet. "How long was I out?"

"Just a minute or two." he assured me, having caught his breath. "You totally saved us! Well, maybe not Supey-he'd probably be fine anyway-but the rest of us totally owe you!"

"Don't you forget it." I teased.

"We…did it." Aqualad panted beside us. Kid and Robin high-fived, then recoiled harshly, clutching their sides, caressing injuries. A groan to my right brought Desmond to our attention. He was half buried under the mass of rock and steel and concrete. I rested my hand on Superboy's elbow, gesturing towards the sky when he looked at me.

"Ta-dah!"

"The moon." Kid clarified. And, as we watched, a small speck appeared across the full white surface. The speck grew larger and larger until we could finally tell what it was.

Superman.

"_And_ Superman! Do we keep our promises or what?" Kid asked, obviously happy with himself, as if he provided both the moon and the man of steel. Superman touched down, soon joined by Zatara, Red Tornado, Martian Manhunter, Captain Marvel and, eventually, the whole entire League. I was still so new to the superhero-ing world that I had to suppress a squeal.

Superboy stepped forward and lifted the torn front of his solar suit, showing them all the S shield on his chest. Superman's eyes bulged, and let me be the first to say that he did _not_ look happy.

"Is that what I think it is?" Batman asked.

"He doesn't like being called an 'it'." Kid sang.

Superboy didn't seem to notice what he was being called. "I'm Superman's clone." Cue League-wide stare of 'OMG, REALLY!' Batman, who didn't react at all to the bombshell that had just been dropped, was the first to say anything.

"Start talking."

* * *

Roughly half an hour later we had given an in-depth highly-detailed account of everything that had happened over the course of the night. Which, it turns out, had been a fairly long night, since it was almost half past four in the morning by the time our story was over. The lanterns had already carried Desmond off and most of the League had left, leaving only our mentors and a few stragglers in the background.

"Cadmus will be investigated." Batman told us. "All fifty-two levels. But let's make one thing clear-"

"You should've called!" Flash blurted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"End results aside we are _not_ happy." Bats continued, giving us his trademark look-of-doom. I had to fight the urge to squirm. I figured that if the three years I had spent training with Wolverine hadn't killed me I could take anything Batman dished out punishment-wise. "You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct orders and endangered lives. You will _not_ be doing this again."

"I am sorry," Aqualad said. "but we will."

"Aqualad." Aquaman cautioned. "Stand. Down." I couldn't help but agree that he should rein it in, but Kaldur seemed confident in his right to speak.

"Apologies my king, but no." Aquaman's eyes widened. Clearly, Kaldur wasn't one for stepping out of line. "We did good work here tonight. The work _you_ trained us to do. Together, on our own, we forged something powerful. Important."

"If this is about your treatment at the hall, the four of you-"

"The _five_ of us." Kid Flash corrected his mentor. "And it's not."

"Batman, we're ready to use what you taught us, or…why teach us at all?"

"Why let them tell us what to do?" Superboy asked, stepping out in front of us all. "It's simple. Get on board, or get out of our way." Batman gave his signature squint, but said nothing more.

I took that to mean we'd won.

* * *

"So, I'm thinking of spelling 'Havoc' with a K instead of a C. Y'know, H-A-V-O-K." I told Robin as we walked to the nearest Zeta tube. Yes, walked. So high-tech. But it was only two blocks away (whatever a 'block' is) so I guess that isn't so bad.

"Why?" he asked, rubbing his eyes, mask in hand.

"To make it more edgy." I explained. "See, this girl I went to school with used to spell Jessica with a K and everyone thought she was dead-cool. So I'm gonna do that."

"Mmkay." Robin said, yawning. We didn't talk much until we got to the Zeta tube. Robin went through first, me close behind. I made my way quickly through the Batcave, up the stairs, up the _other_ set of stairs that led to the second floor and trudged down the hallway towards my bedroom, eyes closed, trailing my hand along the wall so I wouldn't miss my door. When I did finally reach my room I cracked one eye open, flicked on the light and nudged the door closed with my butt. Pulling my shirt over my head was agony, my cracked ribs screaming. Once it was off I threw it against the wall with extreme prejudice, as if the garment itself was the sole cause of my discomfort. After kicking off my boots, followed by my leggings, I pulled a flannel button-down shirt from my dresser and slipped it on over my mismatched underwear, tying the three middle buttons. The shirt itself once upon a time belonged to my father. I know this probably sound dopey but whenever I'd had a rough day wrapping myself in one of dad's old shirts always made me feel better. I took my black-rimmed hipster glasses from my nightstand and swapped out my mask, tossing it on top of my washing basket. Just as I was about to flop into bed-far too tired to even consider showering, which was gross, but I'd drown if I did-my door creaked open.

"You look like shit." I smiled and turned to face my visitor.

Jason leaned against the doorframe, clad in flannel pyjama bottom, chest bare, hair sticking out comically on one side. He'd obviously just woken up.

"Thanks Jay." I mumbled, padding across the room to the door. "I can always count on you to kick me when I'm down."

"Course you can." His eyes studied me sleepily, resting first on my torn, purple cheek before trailing down my body, stopping on my bare legs. "Nice undies." I glanced down at myself, noticed for the first time that my black and pink Hello Kitty panties were on display and hurried to close the rest of the buttons. Jason smirked before yawning so wide it split his whole face in half, tongue curling in like a cat. He scratched his head absently as he made his way over to my bed and nestled himself in with my mound of quilts and comforters. "So where were you?"

"Cadmus." I climbed onto the bed next to him, punching my pillow a few times before stuffing it under my head. Jason had nicked my cosy pillow-the one he damn well knew was my favourite-and was talking up most of my _king-sized_ bed. Confused as to how a just-over-average eleven year old could manage that? Yeah, me too.

"What's Cadmus?" he asked, voice muffled by my pillow. "That sounds made up. Am I supposed to know what that is?"

"It's a gen-" I yawned loudly, stretching across the mattress with my face buried in the sheets. "Genetics lab in DC. They were making all these creepy clones on the down low-"

"Did you really just say 'down low'?"

"Will you let me finish!" I pinched his forearm because I'm just that mature. Jay rolled from his side to his stomach, resting his arms beneath his head so he could scowl at me while still enjoying maximum comfort. "Anyways, there was a Superman clone there-his name is Superboy, by the way-and he beat us up and then he was all nice and then he helped us escape and then _we_ helped _him_ escape and then there was this guy and he drank this serum and he turned into this big nasty thing and then he tried to kill us and then we knocked the roof down on top of him and then the Justice League showed up and then Batman was all mad at us and then we came home." I took breath, waiting for his reply. Credit where it's due, Jason reacted exactly as I'd figured he would.

Complete disinterest.

"Cool." He was still looking at me through half closed eyes. Granted, it was five in the morning. _Why had he gotten up at all?_ "Who's 'we'?"

"Me, Dick, Kid Flash and Aqualad. And Superboy now, I guess."

"Do I get to play too?" he asked, still able to be a sarcastic little twat even in his sleep-deprived state.

"Not till you're big and strong like me."

"I'm bigger than you." He reminded me, a superior smirk tugging on his lips.

"Don't nitpick Todd, you know what I mean." I meant until he was my age, which was stupid since Dick had become Robin at age nine. Really Jay was just to unpractised to become a caped crusader, even a little one. Hugging one of my pillows I inhaled deeply, the scent of Alfred's fabric softener making me even sleepier, if such a thing were possible. Just as I was about to pass out Jason shifted. I thought he was going to leave but-of course-he just flipped my pillow so the cold side was facing out and lay down again, on his back this time. I curled against his side, using his arm as a pillow.

"What happened to your cheek?" His voice was thick and gruff, as if he was asleep already.

"Creepy clone thing got in a lucky shot. I also got punched by a Kryptonian." I propped myself up on my elbow, kneaded Jay's shoulder with the heel of my hand and flopped back down. "I don't recommend it."

My mind began to shut down, Jason's steady breathing lulling me to sleep.

And then:

"What're you doing?"

Jason groaned loudly, sending vibrations through his chest that tickled my unharmed cheek.

"Sleeping, Grayson. Now go away." Dick didn't reply to Jay's comment, merely crossing the room and lying down on my other side. Jason's arm circled around my waist, pulling me against his chest in a decidedly possessive gesture. Dick scooted closer, looking for something to cuddle.

"Quit hogging her."

"Piss off Grayson, I was here first."

"I'm not a teddy bear." I felt I needed to remind them. I snaked my hand out and caught onto Dick's upper arm, pulling the material of his shirt until he came closer. Jason tightened his hold on my waist, as if to let me know he wasn't happy about our intruder. I didn't much care. Sure, I was ever so slightly closer to Jason than I was to Dick. When I first arrived at Wayne Manor, Jason had only been here a week so, we had feeling totally lost and out of place to bond over. But they were both my friends. I cared about each of them. Hell, even after just three weeks they already felt like family.

"Night Dick."

"G'night Brooke."

"Night Jay."

"Shut it Brooke."

The boys went silent and, just before I was pulled under by the throes of sleep I heard Jay mumble:

"Goodnight, Dickie bird."

**Bruce Wayne**

On my way down the hall I stopped outside Jason's room. The door was ajar, bed empty. Confused, I continued down the hall to find the same scene in Dick's room. That's when I heard the snoring. I smiled to myself, ducking out of Dick's room and making my way to Brooklyn's. Sure enough, there they were, all three nestled together in a heap above the covers. Jason had his arm wrapped around Brooklyn's midsection, his face buried in her hair, snoring lightly. Dick lay flat on his back, snoring loudly. Brooklyn herself was snuggled between the two, one arm covering Jason's as if she feared he would leave. The other hand was draped across Dick's abdomen, fingers fisted in his shirt. Holding the two together. Letting neither of them go. I stepped forward silently, leaned over and plucked Brooke's glasses from her face. She always forgot to take them off. As I drew back she stirred, eyes cracking open.

"Bruce?"

"It's okay Lynn." I promised, stroking a strand of her unruly hair behind her ear. "Go back to sleep." She nodded once, eyes closing, and within seconds she was out cold. I made my way out of her room again. Looking over my shoulder once more. They looked angelic while they slept.

What really pained me was knowing they would be trying to kill each other tomorrow.

**So, you know when Robin says 'Batcave's crowded enough'? I immediately thought of Jason and an itty bitty Tim wandering around Wayne Manor. So I decided I'd add in Jason because after Nightwing he's, like, my favourite DC character of all time. Batman is a distant third…then Damian…the rest I really don't care about (sorry Batgirl!)**

** Please review and let me know what you think. Oh, and above all thanks for reading!**

**Stay whelmed!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hiya! I'm sorry I don't update this story as often as I'd like-and judging by your reviews, as much as you'd like either-but I'm working on a lot of other stuff at the same time, so sorry !**

**Thanks to piggythelaw, EvilCheesecake437 ValeLucyandtheWeirdnessClub and JKHarleyQuinn for reviewing. Love you guys!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC, but wouldn't it be cool if I did :)**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Take the Tour**

**MOUNT JUSTICE  
****JULY 8  
****08:14 EDT****  
**

Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy and I were all gathered in Mount Justice, which is in Happy Harbour, along with some of the Leaguers. Don't know what MountJustice is?

It's okay, I don't either.

Inside, I was dying an ecstatic death from sheer happiness and excitement and over-exposure to uncontained awesome. On the outside I was sipping from a Starbuck's cup, looking indifferently around the cave. When you're Batman's protégée you're not _allowed_ to fangirl.

The five of us stood in a line, facing Batman. Since we weren't on official duty we were allowed to wear our own clothes. For me that meant a light grey t-shirt with a picture of Yoda on it that read '_calm you shall keep and carry on you must_'. I'd coupled this with my favourite navy jeans with silver buckles and chains up the sides, a butter-soft leather jacket and blue Chuck Taylors. Unlike Dick-who was forbidden to remove his sunglasses in fear of revealing his secret I.D.-I was sporting my usual geek chic glasses. Everyone already knew who I was.

"This cave was the original secret sanctuary of the Justice League." Batman told us. "We're calling into service again. Since you five are determined to stay together and fight the good fight you'll do it on League terms. Red Tornado volunteered to live here and be your supervisor. Black Canary's in charge of training. I will deploy you on missions."

"Real missions?" Dick asked.

"Yes, but covert." Batman said.

"The League will still handle the obvious stuff. There's a reason we have these big targets on our chests." Flash added, tapping the lightning bolt decorating his suit.

"But Cadmus proves the bad guys are getting smarter." Aquaman piped in. "Batman needs a team that can operate on the sly."

"The six of you will be that team."

"Cool! Wait six?" Robin asked as I popped the lid off my cup and drained the last of the foamy goodness. _Oh, double-shot, how I love you_. The boys all turned around and I followed suit. Standing beside Martian Manhunter was a girl-probably around Wally's age-dressed in a white top and blue skirt, matching cape collecting behind her. The girl had red hair and was also ever so slightly _green_. I glanced down at my empty coffee cup curiously before elbowing Superboy in the gut.

"Please tell me you see that too." I whispered, causing Wally to snicker.

"This is the Martian Manhunter's niece, Ms. Martian.

"Hi." said the green girl, who apparently everyone could see.

"Likin' this gig more every minute." Wally said, exchanging a look with Dick. I cleared my throat loudly, raising an eyebrow. "What? You can be scary. Plus you bite." I made a show of growling in the most animal-like way I could. Wally chose to ignore me. "Welcome aboard!" he said to Ms. Martian. "I'm Kid Flash. That's Robin, Aqualad. That one's Havok. It's cool if you forget their names.

"I'm honoured to be included," Ms. Martian said, clasping her hands in front of her. We all gathered around, except Superboy. I turned back and grabbed his wrist.

"Come meet Ms. M." I commanded, dragging him over. Once we joined the circle Ms. Martian's shirt changed colour, replacing the white with black. I'd heard about the whole 'brain-responding-clothes' trick the Martians had. Seeing it in person was beyond cool.

"I like your t-shirt." She told Superboy, who apparently she was modelling her look after. Aw, puppy love.

"Today is the day." Kaldur stated happily. I couldn't help but agree. The six of us, together, we would be something special. We were a team. We were the beginning of an era.

Hells yeah bitches.

**MOUNT JUSTICE  
****JULY 18  
****11:13 EDT****  
**

"So how come you didn't go to Sta rCity with the boys?" Ms. Martian asked me as she transferred a sheet of cookies from the counter to the oven. The two of us had been spending a lot of time together since she joined us, and honestly she was probably the fastest friend I've ever made. Most likely because she knew even less about American culture than I did, which is saying something. I had finally met someone who was as freaked out by the sheer amount of food one received in a 'supersized' meal as me. I was intent on teaching her everything I knew about the Earth…which really just involved us watching TV for eight hours at a time. Because there is nothing you need to know about the human race that _Buffy the Vampire Slayer _cannot teach you. We called it 'M'gann's Special Earth Study'.

"Speedy doesn't like me-which is, like, completely ridiculous, because I'm adorable." I told her, pulling my knees to my chest. While she was flittering around the kitchen I was perched on the counter, secretly eating all the chocolate chips. I'm so ninja. "So when the guys were all like "you wanna go to Star City to find Roy?" I was all like "Hells no." Besides, I'd rather hang out with you and Superboy. You give me food."

"I'm glad our friendship means so much to you!" M'gann said in her standard super-happy tone. I'm trying to teach her sarcasm, really, I am, but she's just not getting it.

M'gann and I made our way to the mission room. Really it was more of a training room/control centre/Zeta tube…thing, but we just called it the mission room, because it was the easiest way we could define it. Kaldur and Superboy were stationed at the computer. On screen was a little blinking Red Tornado.

"What's up?" I asked, shoving another fistful of chocolate chips into my mouth.

"Are those my ingredients?" M'gann asked, pointing to the little blue bag in my hand. I glanced down the chocolates, then back at her, then back at the chocolates, chewing slowly. I swallowed, staring at her from behind my glasses.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I said simply, popping a few more chips into my mouth.

_Recognise: Robin, B-zero-one. Kid Flash, B-zero-three._

Dick and Wally ran over from the Zeta tubes, huge grins on their faces.

"Did you ask him?"

"What did he say?"

"He is arriving now." Kaldur told them. I nudged Superboy in the gut and asked what they were on about. He informed me that they were going to ask RT if he had a mission for us to go on. I figured it was kind of a long shot, but I followed them out to the back door all the same. We ran out the back just in time to see Red touch down on the lawn.

"_Greetings. Is there a reason you intercept me outside the cave_?" he asked, glancing between the seven of us with his beady robot eyes.

"We hoped you had a mission for us." said Kaldur.

"_Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility."_

"But it's been over a week!" Dick complained. "Nothing-"

"_You'll be tested soon enough_." Red assured us in a not-very-assuring tone. "_For the time being, simply enjoy each others company_."

"This team is not a social club." Kaldur reminded him darkly. Red didn't seem to notice.

_"No, but I am told social interaction is an important team building exercise. Perhaps you can keep busy by familiarising yourself with the cave."_ He brushed passed us, conversation clearly over.

"Well that's just greaaaat." I murmured, balling up the chocolate chip bag in my hand. I heated the centre of my palm and a few seconds later it caught fire, crumbling to ashes and floating away in the breeze.

"Uh, awesome." Wally acknowledged before punching Dick's shoulder and switching back to pissed-off mode. "Keep busy."

"Does he really think we're falling for this?" Dick asked.

"Oh, I'll find out." Before we could ask her to elaborate M'gann turned on RT, staring at him with serious intensity as he disappeared into the hangar. "I-I'm sorry." M'gann said after a moment. "I forgot he's a machine. Inorganic. I cannot read his mind."

"Nice try though." Wally said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "So, uh, you know what I'm thinkin' right now?"

"We all know what you're thinking now." Dick elbowed him in the gut, a very Brooklyn thing to do.

"And now we tour the clubhouse." Kaldur said with so much disdain you could bottle it.

"Well…Superboy and I live here. We can play tour guides." M'gann suggested. We all looked at Superboy, who kindly asked us to not look at him.

"We won't!" Kid assured him, leaning into Ms M again. "A private tour sounds much more fun."

"Y'know there's this new thing called subtlety." I told Wally. "Generally it's used to mask desperation when speaking to the opposite sex."

"Who says I'm desperate?" In response I merely snorted, jogging to catch up with the others who where on their way inside. So we were touring together, how nice.

"So," M'gann said, waving her arms to encompass the whole area. "This would be our front door-"

~insert pointless tour of cave here~

"And this would be the back." She concluded, leading us out onto the cliff face. I dared Superboy to back flip off of it, but he just gave me a funny look. "The cave is actually the entire mountain." M'gann added.

"It was also reinforced by Superman and Green Lantern in the early days of the League." said Wally in a 'look how much I know!' tone.

"So why abandon it for the Hall of Justice?" Superboy asked. I couldn't help wonder that myself. The Hall's cool and all but I distinctly remember seeing a bazillion inch flat screen TV in the other room.

"Its secret location was…compromised." Kaldur said.

"So they traded it in for a tourist trap?" Superboy scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, that makes sense."

"If villains know of the cave, we must be on constant alert!" Dick reached out and grabbed M'gann's hand before she could continue.

"The bad guys know we know they know about this place so they'd never think to look here."

"Uh," Wally interjected, taking her hand. "He means we're hiding in plain sight."

"Ah, that makes more sense."

"Point: Wally." I murmured. Kaldur smiled, which was the closest to a laugh I have ever gotten from him, no matter how hilarious I am (which is exceptionally hilarious, just so you know).

"I smell smoke." Superboy said suddenly. I sniffed the air and got nothing, but then I had a regular, boring human nose. All I could smell was dust and air and, if I inhaled enough to almost make myself dizzy, Dick's apple shampoo.

"My cookies!" M'gann cried, flying off in the direction of the kitchen.

"She really shouldn't fly while wearing a skirt." I thought aloud. "And I was seriously looking forward to those cookies. I'm starving."

"You ate, like, two hours ago." Dick reminded me. I stuck my tongue out at him and followed the now clear smell of burning pastries to the kitchen. M'gann had just used her telekinesis to take the tray out of the oven, thick tendrils of smoke rising from the little black blobs that were once cookies.

She said something about trying a recipe from an episode of something, but cut herself off before she finished.

"I bet they'd've tasted great." Dick assured her.

"He seems to think so." I added, gesturing to Wally, who was stuffing his face with the charred goodies. He stopped chewing when he realised we were all staring at him.

"I have a serious metabolism." he said sheepishly around a mouthful of cookie. I rolled my eyes and made my way to the fridge. As I stared at the shelves nothing seemed to stare back, so I shut the door angrily. After a lengthily inner battle I reached over and took a blackened cookie from the tray. My teeth left marks when I bit into it but I think the real damage was done to my left pre-molars.

"I'll make more." M'gann promised.

"It was sweet of you to make any." Kaldur told her while I fingered my tooth. I placed the cookie back on the tray so carefully it might as well have been a live explosive. Wally gave me an amused look before picking up the cookie and breaking it in half with his teeth.

"Thanks Aqualad." M'gann said, looking rather disappointed with herself. One botched attempt at cooking and you'd swear her pet cat just died.

"We're off duty. Call me Kaldur'ahm. Actually, my friends call me Kaldur."

"I'm Wally. See, I already trust you with my secret I.D." Wally leaned forward against the counter, resting his chin on his hand. "Unlike Mr. Dark Glasses over here. Batman's forbidden Boy Wonder from telling anyone his real name."

"Shouldn't yours be a secret too?" Superboy asked me, to which I just shrugged.

"Everyone already knew my name. Didn't seem fair to keep you and Ms. M in the dark." he made a sort of huffing noise and pushed off he worktop, making his way out. He only got a few feet before turning to stare wide-eyed at M'gann (or did I have to call her Megan now?)

"Get out of my head!" Superboy yelled. We all turned to Megan, wondering what she could've possibly done to piss him off so much. Felt this pressure rise behind my eyes, not particularly painful but in no way pleasant.

_What's wrong? I-I don't understand._

I gasped as I heard Megan's voice…inside my head. Her lips hadn't moved. Like, _at all._ But I heard her as clear as day.

_Everyone on Mars communicates telepathically._

"M'gann stop!" Kaldur demanded coldly. "Things are different on Earth. Here your powers are an extreme invasion of privacy."

"'Extreme' putting it lightly." I growled, which seemed to upset M'gann even more. Wally cracked a genomorph joke to try and lighten the mood, but M'gann was still regarding me with wounded puppy eyes. We'd only known each other for a week. This was my first mood swing she'd ever seen. How I'd kept my shit together for almost eight full days, I don't know.

"I didn't mean to-"

"Just stay out!" Superboy snapped, spinning on his heel and stalking down the hall.

"I'm sorry." she mumbled, looking straight at me. I felt like an asshole.

"It's okay, I shouldn't have snapped at you." I smiled, and then, thinking as freely as I could, I added. _'What you need to understand about me is I'm a deeply unhappy person.'_ I wasn't sure if she'd heard me, but judging by her expression, she'd received the message loud and clear. "So, what do we do now that the tour's over?" I asked, speaking out loud again.  
"Hello Megan!" she sang, thumping her forehead with her hand. It was sort of like her signature line. Mine was probably 'you arsehole.' "I know what we can do." She flew off down the corridor and we followed. Superboy didn't come. M'gann and I ducked back to get him. "Superboy," M'gann said in a small voice. "Please."

"Don't talk to me." he grunted, not bothering to face her. Scowling, I stepped forward and casually flicked his ear. He jerked back, giving me a WTF look. "What was that for?"

"You're being a twat." I informed his wryly, flicking his ear again. "Now come on. M'gann wants to show us something." I flicked him again and he stood, sneering at me. I grinned back, catching onto his hand and hauling him after me. "That's a good little Superboy." I cooed, making M'gann bust out into giggles. Superboy didn't seem to find it funny. In fact, he looked confused.

"What's a twat?"

* * *

A few hundred feet above HappyHarbour in a little pink and black aircraft Ms. M cutely called her Bio-Ship, I was having a slight nervous breakdown. Not because I'm afraid of heights-which I'm not-or worried about drowning-which I wasn't-but more so because I could not think of a single reason why the thing I was in should be able to stay airborne. You know the first time you go on a plane, and you don't understand how it stays up, so you're scared. But then someone explains all the ins and outs of air travel, so you think nothing more on the subject.

Now, imagine that feeling, then quadruple it, and that's how I felt right that very second. Because in my case not only did I have no fucking clue how the Bio-Ship worked, but the whole thing was made of Martian-ey tech which I know nothing about. I'm a logical person of logical thinking, and I like to have little boxes I can categorise things into. And the Bio-Ship and its workings was most definitely in the box labelled 'shit you should stay away from because it will probably kill you.'

_Thank you Ms. Martian. I'm now afraid of flying._

The airsickness I was feeling, however, had nothing to do with M'gann.

"You okay?" Dick's voice shocked me back to reality. I turned my chair around to face him. One thing I will say about the alien death trap-it offered great mobility. "You're lookin' kinda green."

"Yeah, I'm fine." I murmured, giving him a tight smile. "Peaches and cream."

"What?"

"Who's talking about food!?" Wally demanded. I laughed, then instantly regretted it as my voice broke halfway through, turning it into a cackle. God, I didn't like the Bio-Ship. I did _not_ like the Bio-Ship.

"This ship really is incredible." Dick told M'gann.

"She sure is." Wally sighed, gazing wistfully at M'gann. When we all turned to stare at him he quickly added, "I mean the ship. Which, like all ships is a…she." I cocked an eyebrow suggestively, making kissy faces in the air. He stuck his tongue out at me. So mature.

"Fast with his feet, not so much with his mouth." Dick laughed.

"Dude!" Wally cried indignantly.

"What? It was an apt statement." I murmured, clutching the dash of the Bio-Ship as a wave of nausea crashed over me. "Uhhnng."

"Brooke, you sure you're okay?" Dick sounded genuinely worried. I waved his off, explaining I didn't do well if I stayed too far from the ground for too long. We all fell silent for a while, taking in the view from this altitude. Which was pretty amazing. From a certain height anything can look majestic, even HappyHarbour. "How's about showing us some Martian shape shifting." Dick suggested. M'gann stood up, which made me whimper. The pilot was leaving the pilot chair. The _fucking_ pilot was leaving the _fucking_ pilot chair

_We're all going to die_, I thought miserably. _Die, die, die die die die._

M'gann entertained the boys by turning into a carbon copy of me in my uniform. Everything was exactly right, from the lines of blue on my grey and black suit to the curve of my mask to the jagged spikeness of my hair. It was really unsettling. Next she turned into a genderbend of Dick, which I bit my tongue to stop myself laughing at. She did the same with Wally, striking a pose while she modelled the yellow and red.

"Is it wrong that I think I'm hot?" Wally asked dreamily.

"Extremely." I deadpanned.

"Seconded." Dick snickered, applauding M'gann's little show. "And no offence but I don't think you're gonna fool anyone with those."

"The one of Brooklyn was great though!" Wally insisted. "I wouldn't be able to tell you apart."

"Thanks asshole."

"That is, until she opened her mouth." Dick laughed. I didn't have anything to throw at his head, and I wasn't feeling well enough to set him on fire, so I settled with lifting my hand, displaying two fingers proudly. I'll leave it up to your imagination as to which two fingers they were.

"Well, mimicking boys is a lot harder." M'gann confessed, easing back into the pilot chair, which made me feel a little better.

"And your clothes?" Kaldur asked, speaking for the first time since we boarded. Now that I think about it Superboy hadn't said anything either.

"They're organic, like the ship." M'gann told us. "They respond to my mental commands."

"That's handy." I conceded, subconsciously fingering the collar of my jacket. Soft and stylish, maybe, but definitely not organic. _Channel_ should really look into that.

"As long as they're the only ones." _Ah, the Boy of Steel speaks_. His outburst set a heavy dampener on the mood. We all shifted uncomfortably in our seats until Wally eventually broke the silence.

"Can you do that ghosting through walls thing Manhunter does?" he asked Ms. M, who shifted in her seat uneasily.

"Density shifting? No i-it's a very advanced technique."

"Flash can vibrate his molecules right through a wall." Dick chuckled. "When he tries it, bloody nose."

"Dude!"

"What is it with you Americans and the word 'dude'?" I asked, reclining back in my chair and kicking my sneakered feet up onto the dash.

"Oh, pardon me daaahling!" Wally droned in a very high, very fake British accent. "How positively horrid of me!"

"I do not sound like that." I growled, hiding a smile behind the collar of my jacket.

"Oh but you do dahling!" Dick giggled in a slightly-better mockery of my accent. "I' really is hystericawl to listun too."

"Oh, really." I said in my best stupid-person American accent. "I didn't realise my accent was _soooo_ funny. Not like I find how you guys talk hilarious." M'gann erupted into giggles as the boys began to rant about tea and football while I stood up and sang the American national anthem, which I only knew half of, so it turned into _American Idiot _after four lines.

_"Red Tornado to Miss Martian."_

Red's voice over the com link shut us all up, which was good because I was running out of Green Day.

_"An emergency alert has been triggered at the Happy Harbour power plant. I suggest you investigate. Covertly. I'm sending co-ordinates."_

"Received." Ms. M told him. "Adjusting course."

"Tornado's keeping us busy again." Dick scoffed, not sounding at all pleased. As M'gann reigned in the Bio-Ship she reminded him that a simple fire led us to Superboy, so it was worth checking the alert out for that reason alone. I wasn't overly convinced we'd be so lucky this time.

And then a tornado swallowed the Bio-Ship, throwing us through the air like a ragdoll.

I shit you not.

**AN: So this chapter is kind of a filler, but it had to be done. And I'm kinda stuck on four reviews per chapter so…can I ask for 5?**

**I'll have another chapter up soon!**

**Please review, I hope you liked it and thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hola, mi amigos! Thanks to everyone who read/favourited/followed. Thanks to piggythelaw, EvilCheesecake437, Writers Readers, Guest 1, Guest 2 and ValeLucyandtheWeirdnessClub (did you change your user name?) for reviewing. I asked for five. You gave me six. LOVE YOU GUYS!**

**Now I demand seven!**

**Or, y'know...if you feel like it.**

**I'll give you a cookie! (by this of course I mean cyber cookies because to sed you real cookies would require far too much effort, plus baking [which i cannot master] plus postage fees, since probably, like, 99.9997% of my audience lives in a far away land. But still, you will receive some sort of metaphorical 'cookie' if you review...maybe)**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Evolution**

**HAPPY HARBOUR POWER PLANT**

**JULY 18**

**17:57 EDT**

"I'm gonna throw up, I'm gonna throw up, I'm gonna throw up." I chanted, clutching my stomach as we shot through the air. M'gann somehow managed to fly us out of the whirlwind, but not before I was forced to re-swallow the contents of my gut. Which, for the record, is gross. M'gann landed the ship hastily and we all unlatched out seatbelts and fell through the hatch to the ground. Workers streamed from the plant as the tornado continued to tear cars from the lot. Dick tapped my shoulder, jerking his head in the direction of the plant. I nodded and hurried after him. I vaulted through a blown out window just as Robin crashed through the doors. Standing in front of us was…a guy-well, guy shaped-all in red with a machine thingie tied to his back. Oh, and he was generating hurricanes. So that sucked.

The guy sent a gale force wind hurling towards us. I tore it off its course before it hit me, but Robin, who had run in ahead, was thrown back off his feet and against a support column. I rushed over as he propped himself up on his elbow.

"Uh, who the hell's that?" I asked, helping him into a sitting position. The others ran in through the main doors.

"Didn't catch his name but he plays kinda rough!" Robin shouted as Superboy landed next to us.

"My apologies." said the new bad guy. "You my address me as Mister Twister."

"Lame." I deadpanned, even as he sent two hurricanes barrelling across the room. I snuffed them out instantly, smiling smugly to myself. Superboy leapt towards him, but he kicked another one out, catching Superboy in the funnel and using it to hurl him across the room. I bent the tornado back on Twister before he could create more.

"Wait, so you can control _twisters_ now?" Kid asked, eyes wide beneath his goggles.

"Yes, Wallace." I said in a '_duh!'_ type of tone. "I can control all of the things. What part of 'elemental advocate do you not understand?"

" 'Advocate' really doesn't work there." Dick pointed out.

"Don't care. It sounds cool."

Twister-evidently peeved that I was ruining his day-he spat out another hurricane. I ripped it apart, taking considerably longer. So long that it had managed to both chew up and spit out Aqualad.

"I can control them, but if he keeps making them as strong as they are now there's only so much I can do." I told the others once we'd all regrouped, sort-of-hiding behind a support pillar. "in other words: the five of you take him down, I'll handle the twisters. Sound good?" Nods all around. Except, of course, from Wally.

"Seriously, did I miss the 'lets make Havok leader' memo?" he spat, a thin layer of venom coating his words. "How come she gets to tell us what to do?"

"Hey!" Dick snapped, hitting him on the shoulder, too hard to be jokingly. "Just 'cause she has a plan and you don't. She's doing _way_ more to help than you are. So leave her alone." I felt my cheeks flush as my stomach did a weird little flippy thing. Dick was coming to my defence…and I really kinda liked it.

"Thanks Robin." I murmured. At that moment a loud bang snapped our attention back to the matter at hand. I sprung from behind the pillar, retching the hurricane barrelling towards us back on Twister, making him stumble. Kid took the opportunity to launch himself at our assailant, but Twister shook him off, using his wind jets to catapult Kid through the open cargo door. Ms Martian and Aqualad met similar fates.

_So much for my amazing plan._

Twister conjured another whirlwind, far stronger than before, which ripped through the building, collecting random things from around the room as well as six pounds of shattered glass. I held my hands out and made a pulling motion, focusing intently on the hurricane, forcing the hot and cold air within to separate. With a grunt on my part the whole thing collapsed on itself.

"Impressive." Twister said, flicking his wrist to the side, which sent Robin tumbling through the air. "You're not nearly as weak as you look. But you'll have to do better than this. I was expecting to be challenged by a _superhero_, not _children_." I wanted to tell him exactly where to shove his condescending tone, but I am a lady, so I didn't.

"We're not children!" Robin growled, launching birdarangs at Twister, who stopped them with humiliating ease.

"Objectively you are. Have you no adult supervision? I find your presence here quite…disturbing."

"I find your lack of faith disturbing." I chuckled, though pretty much to myself since no one was within earshot. Still, I found it funny. I ran over to where the others were gathered just as Robin shouted, "Well we hate to see you disturbed! Let's see if you're more _turbed_ once we kick your can!" M'gann ripped the piping above Mr. Twister down, encompassing him in a cloud of steam. Superboy attacked, but was knocked back by Twister's wind jets (um, déjà vu much)? Superboy crashed into Ms. Martian and the two flew through the air, collapsing into a heap on the floor. Robin, Aqualad and I rushed at Twister but we were caught up in the mini-tornados he conjured, the three of us smashing together. Kaldur's elbow drove into my cheek and Dick's knee somehow managed to find its way between my legs.

If any girl ever tells you getting kneed in her respective gentiles does not hurt, she is _lying_, because getting kneed _anywhere_ hurts. I'll tell you that for free.

The three of us landed in a heap on the cold concrete, the boys flat on their backs, me doubled over, clutching my…well, you know.

"Indeed." Twister said, sounding even _more_ condescending, if such a thing was possible. "That was quite _turbing_. Thank you." And with that he flew off. The others forced themselves into sitting positions, eyeing the door through which he had departed with palpable disdain. I was still bent-double.

"Um, Brooke?" Dick's voice sounded to my right. "You okay?"  
"You kneed me in the twat." I groaned, flopping over onto my back. I glanced up at him from behind the curtain of hair in front of my eyes. He didn't look particularly remorseful. "And I think Kaldur broke me cheekbone."

"_That's_ what twat means?" Superboy asked, sounding kinda horrified. I propped myself up on my elbow, rubbing my cheek. It was the same one the genomorph had sliced open. It just couldn't catch a break, could it?

"Only in this specific context. As is the case with many informal curse words, twat has many meanings." I promised, standing up shakily. "I was calling you an idiot before, not a female sex organ." I patted his shoulder lightly. "No worries." He blinked at me a few times, but didn't comment. "So, where's Wally?"

"Um, last I saw he was being thrown in…" Dick spun around and pointed towards the open door. "That direction." We all ran out in said direction, just in time to see Kid Flash being sucked into a whirlwind. He plummeted towards the ground, but M'gann held out her arm and stopped his fall before he became a Kid-coloured stain on the sidewalk.

"I gotcha Wally!" she said triumphantly, setting him down.

"Thanks."

"I would've thought you'd have all learned your limitations by now." Twister said.

"What do you want?" Aqualad demanded.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm waiting for a _real_ hero."

"Read his mind." Kaldur ordered M'gann. "Find a weakness."

Ms. Martian looked exceedingly confused. "I thought I wasn't supposed to do that."

"It's okay with the bad guys!" Dick snapped. M'gann nodded, turning to Twister and closing her eyes. After a few seconds she opened them again, looking dejected.

"Nothing. I'm getting nothing!" And then her eyes brightened and she slapped her own forehead. "Hello Megan! Mr. Twister is Red Tornado in disguise!"

"Uh, how'd you work that out?" I asked, giving her a look I hope she could translate to '_I'm checking you into a psychiatric unit when we leave'._

"He's inorganic!" she explained, clearly not noticing my stare. "An android. And how many androids do _you_ know that can generate tornados?"

"Red Tornado sent us here!" Aqualad growled. I totally understood why. We'd been played. Tricked. Fucked sideways! All because the League thought we were…what? Too inexperienced? Too young? Too immature…well, maybe Wally. Definitely Dick. But was that really an excuse to knock us around a power plant while RT played dress-up?

No. No it's not.

_Wankers_.

"After saying we'd be 'tested soon enough'." Robin quoted, blue eyes alight with barely contained anger behind his dark glasses. "This is his test!"

"Keepin' us busy." I grumbled, driving the toe of my shoe into the ground, sending little tufts of grass into the air.

"Speedy called it." Wally added, hanging his head. "We're a joke." Growling, Aqualad drove his left fist into his right palm in anger. I practically cringed at its cheesiness, but did not pass a comment, because he deserved to have the reaction he saw fit. We all turned on 'Mr. Twister', who floated above our heads, not a care in the world.

"We know who you are and what you want!" Robin called.

"So let's end this." Aqualad continued, waving his arms wide in a 'lets be reasonable' type of gesture.

"Consider it ended." Twister raised his arms above his head and conjured up a real life, actual fact, scary as shit lightning storm. Menacing purple clouds and all.

"Uh, can Red Tornado…do that?" Kid asked, gesturing towards the lightning above our heads. Before any of us could answer, Twister laughed.

"You think I'm Tornado?" he asked, clearly amused. "Ironic." A lightning bolt struck the ground, sending us all hurtling through the air. I hit the grass hard, rolling a few times before coming to a stop, face buried in the dirt. I lifted my head slightly and saw Superboy rip off his jacket, leaping for Twister, who sent two jolts of electricity straight into Superboys chest. He tunnelled into the ground, leaving a gaping crater in his wake. Twister drew nearer, stalking like a vulture above our heads.

And that's when everything turned to shit.

Because when is the best time for your powers to go ape shit?

When you've got a psychopath hovering over your _fucking_ head.

That's when.

I felt an all too familiar pressure building behind my eyes, a gnawing type of almost pain. _No, not now!_ But, of course, there was no stopping it. I tried my best to ignore it, to push the feeling down, asking it nicely to call again later. Twister loomed closer and closer, an electric current filling the air.

And then he was gone..

"Fine then!" Twister's voice sounded, though I couldn't see from where. "I wont deny you children have power. But playing hide-and-seek with you will not help me achieve my objectives, so _stay_ concealed. If you confront me again I will show _no_ _mercy._"

The sound of his engines faded away until there was no trace of Mr Twister. At the time I didn't register this, of course. Because I was having a panic attack. The pressure in my head was growing stronger, making me squint behind my glasses.

_Please be a headache, please be a headache, please be a headache._

"What happened?" Wally slurred, propping his elbows beneath him.

"I placed the Bio-Ship between us." M'gann answered quietly. There was a crash followed by a grunt, probably from Superboy. I couldn't tell. My vision was starting to blur.

_~Pain, pain, go away. Please come back another day~_

"And that's supposed to make it right?" _Is that Superboy? Sounds like Superboy_. "You tricked us into thinking Twister was Red Tornado."

"She didn't do it on purpose."

"It was a rookie mistake. We shouldn't have listened."

I really couldn't tell who was talking anymore.

Some more stuff might have been said in regards to the whole RT/Mr Twister situation, but the first thing I became aware of was Wally.

"Uh, Brooke? You okay?"

"Yeah." I croaked, raising my head. "I'm totally f-"

That's as far as I got before the spasms started. I doubled over in pain, clutching my abdomen as waves of shear agony crashed through my body. I heard someone-Robin?-call my name, but everything around me was dull and clouded, like I was underwater. I vaguely registered the others around me, Robin kneeling by my side. I turned to face him. The worry on his face scared me most of all. He had never seen my powers evolve before. None of them had.

_Boy, are you lot in for a treat._

I could feel the blood-hot and thick-dripping from my nose. Any second now and the vessels in my eyes would burst. I screamed as another jolt of pain shot through me. My arms left my stomach and curled around my shoulders, my nails digging into the skin of my upper arms, tearing jagged gashes. The fresh pain cleared my head by a fraction. I could make out what the others were saying now.

"What's happening?" M'gann asked, her voice high with hysteria. Did I really look that bad?

"It's her powers." This from Robin. "They evolve on their own. But I've never been around for it. I don't know what to do!" He sounded furious, his voice shaking. I wanted to comfort him, tell him there was nothing he _could_ do. But the only thing I had the strength to do was turn my head to the side so I didn't vomit blood onto his shoes. The pain grew so intense that I was sure I was done for.

_This is it,_ I thought. _This is how I die_.

Of their own accord my arms dropped, my fingers digging painfully into the ground beneath me. The world around me shook. I heard screams from my teammates-was Twister back?-but I couldn't see anything. My vision had fogged over completely, turning everything a sickening shade of red. I screamed until my throat was raw, coughed up another lungful of blood and waited patiently for my heart to stop beating.

And then it was gone.

I gasped as the red haze left my mind. Blood still flowed hot and heavy from my nose, down my cheeks like scarlet tears. My throat was torn ragged, my upper arms burned from the cuts I'd made, my mouth was filled with the sick coppery tang of blood that made my stomach churn again. and my ears were ringing.

But I wasn't dead.

Go me.

The others were all pushing themselves up on their elbows. I couldn't see Twister anywhere. The Bio-Ship blocked a good portion of my view, but even then I couldn't hear the whir of his suits engines.

"Wazzappenin?" I mumbled, using the back of my shaking hand to wipe some of the blood from my chin. It was already starting to dry. Yeah, it's as nasty as it sounds.

"We could ask you the same question." Kid groaned, rubbing his forehead. "What the hell was that?"

"Wadaya mean?" I asked, my words slurring. I ran my fingers through my hair, which was stuck to my neck with sweat. Just great.

"Uh, I'm no expert but…I think you just caused an earthquake." was Kid's reply.

Now, I'm not a geologist, but even with my limited knowledge of how the tectonic plates work, I know causing an earthquake is a big deal. Which is why I simply balked at Wally.

"Exsqueeze me?"

"You just created a seismic event!" Robin clarified, jumping to his feet. "That's so cool!"

"Are you okay?" M'gann asked, flying over to kneel by my side, kindly ingoring the thin layer of blood that coated my everything. "You just-you-you just started screaming and then everything started to shake and then…are you okay."

"I'm fine M'gann, swearsies." I smiled, keeping my lips clamped so she couldn't see the blood staining my teeth. "I'll explain later."

"But-"

"Later!"

"So, freaky surprise earthquake notwithstanding." Wally said, pushing his goggles back over his eyes. "You two should hit the showers."

"What!" I exclaimed, jumping to my feet. This turned out to be a tremendously shit idea. I rocked on my heels, swaying into Superboy, who gripped my elbow to stop me from tipping. "No way am I leaving!"  
"You can barely stand, Brooklyn." Kaldur said softly. "Having you fight with us would only put you at risk."

"I'm fine." I promised, even as I sort of collapsed again Superboy.

"Dude, your _eyeballs_ are bleeding." Wally reminded me. "_No_ _one_ is fine when their eyeballs are bleeding."

"But I can still-"

"No, Havok." Kaldur's voice lost its soothing tone, taking on a stern edge, an edge you didn't disobey. "Go back to the cave with Ms. Martian. We will handle Twister."

"Fine." I spat out, jerking my arm from Superboy's hold, which hurt. A lot. I spun on my heel and stalked towards the Bio-Ship. "Let's go M'gann. Good luck with Twister!" I called out over my shoulder, words dripping with spite. Ms M trotted over, looking like a kicked puppy.

"I was just trying to be part of the team." She said in a weak little voice.

I snorted. "What team?"

* * *

"What happened back there?" M'gann asked from her place at the helm of the Bio-Ship. I was strapped into a chair up front, wiping the flaky blood from my face with an old cloth I'd found.

"It's…complicated." I sighed, then, thinking it over, I chuckled bitterly. "Actually, it might not be. It might be the simplest thing in the whole wide world. But I wouldn't know, now would I?"

"Um, I'm not quite sure I understand."

I hiked my glasses into my hair and rubbed my eyes with my fingers. "I don't either." Flicking my specks back down, I did my best to explain. "I've got no idea where my powers come from. My father was an average human. A super smart arrogant biilionare with lots of shiny toys, sure. But a _human_. So, it's my best guess that my abilities were inherited from my mother. but since I have no idea who my mother is, that hunch leaves me little to work with."

"Maybe you're a…what are they called again?"

"What? A mutant?" she nodded. "Nah, I don't fit the description. The X-Gene begins to effect you during puberty. I've been able to do what I do since I was three."

"But I don't get it." M'gann persisted. "What happened to you? You looked _totally_ fine and then your nose started bleeding, then your _eyes._"

"My powers…" _What's the best way to explain something you don't understand?_ "My powers sort of…evolve. They grow and give me new abilities. Creating earthquakes, for example. I don't learn how to do what I do. I learn to perfect it, sure. But I cant wake up one morning and say 'today I'm gonna learn how to make a twister'. The powers come to me, I can't take them."

"But why does it hurt you so much?"

"They…they're…growing faster than I am." I ran a hand through my hair, which seriously needed to be washed. Hair shouldn't be sticky. "they never bothered me when I was younger. I'd get a headache and then…boom! I could set the toaster on fire. But as I got older, the process got more and more painful. It's like…it's like it's ripping me apart from the inside."

"That's awful!" M'gann shrieked. "Can't you stop it?"

"Trust me." I murmured, turning away from her. "I would if I could."

_'Incoming transmission from Mount Justice.'_

I jolted in my seat as the words flashed up on the windscreen. My initial reaction was 'HOLY SHIT HOW'S M'GANN SUPPOSED TO SEE!?' But then I realised that we were a bazillion feet in the air, and had nothing to crash into.

Then I felt stupid.

M'gann told RT everything that had happened, cleverly leaving out the bit where I had a spaz attack.

"The team really needs your help." she concluded. Maybe-okay, probably-it's because he's a lifeless robot, but Red didn't seem to care much.

_"If I intervene, it will not be to 'help'_." He told her. I got the distinct impression he didn't realise I was there. "_Still, it is an odd coincidence that this 'Twister' shares my elemental abilities. _And_ my immunity to telepathy_."

"Hello Megan!"

"What?" I asked, spinning around in the chair.

"I've got an idea!"

* * *

"D'you really think this'll work?" I asked…again.

"Yes, Brooklyn! Of course it will work!" M'gann assured me with such confidence that I almost believed her. Almost. She changed into Red Tornado, green skin and pink skirt swapping for a cold metal hide. "You just keep the hurricanes coming. I'll handle Mr Twister."

I nodded, taking my position at the front of the Bio-Ship. M'gann had just filled the boys in on her plan, and after a lot of convincing-cough, cough, Superboy-we were all on board and ready to fight. I was one hurricane. Wally was the other. Hopefully we wouldn't die.

To think that some thirteen year old girls worry about _boys_.

M'gann opened a hatch in the Bio-Ship's floor and dropped through.

_You ready Brooklyn?_

I shuddered, her voice in my head still creeping me out.

_Yeah, sure. Let's go for it._

M'gann landed beside the boys. I couldn't hear what they were saying. The others made their way across the field, leaving Ms M to face Twister. Nothing happened for a moment. The two were probably having the mandatory post-battle trashtalk session. And then, the signal.

_NOW!'_ M'gann screamed into my head. not much of a signal, but…meh. Watcha gonna do. I conjured a tornado on M'gann's left, a second one-Wally-appearing at her right. M'gann threw her hands forward and I followed the motion, tearing the twister alongside Wally while keeping it far enough away that he wouldn't be sucked in. Twister created his own and for a while we just sort of battled it out, colliding with one another like…y'know Bakugan? Those.

_Bigger! _M'gann commanded, throwing her arms behind her. I did as I was told, I hurled it towards Twister, who dodged easily, fists crackling with an electric current.

_Okay, time for the fakeout!"_ M'gann said-_thought_-happily.

_Don't sound so bloody cheerful. _I thought back, laughing.

Twister used his energy beam thingies to blow up a nearby speedboat (what?) and M'gann fell backwards, crashing to the ground. Twister hovered over, looming above her menacingly.

And then she changed her head back to her head, keeping Red Tornado's body.

As funny as it sounds. I promise.

Wally spun over to Twister, knocking him clean off his feet. A hole opened in the Bio-Ship floor and I jumped through, slowing my decent with the air around me. I landed lightly next to the now-completely-M'gann M'gann, who rose into the air, bringing the soggy and fairly beat up Twister with her. she spread her arms wide, Twister's arms tearing away from his body. robin threw two birdarangs and Mr Twister fell to the ground, armless and very much defeated.

Go us!

He rose to his knees and…well, a dude fell from his chest. No two ways about it. A fairly tiny man in a green body suit landed in a pathetic little heap on the ground.

"F-foul." he stammered. "I call foul." M'gann lifted her hand, causing a boulder to rise into the air.

And then she squished him.

Actually squished him.

"M'GANN NO!" Aqualad hollered, but it was too late. The rock was down. The dude was dead.

"What the fuck did you do that for?" I yelled, tugging furiously at my hair.

"I don't know how you do things on Mars." Dick growled, his voice rising with each syllable. "But on Earth, we don't _execute our captives_!"

M'gann simply smiled, which I thought was super creepy. "You said you'd trust me." she lifted her arm and the rock lifted with it, revealing…robo guts?

"Uh, what the actual fuck?" I murmured, stepping closer. Our bad guy came with USB ports.

"That's why I couldn't read his mind." M'gann told us. Wally stooped down and picked up the synthetic eyeball, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger before flicking it into the air..

"Cool! Souvenir!"

"We should've had more faith in you." Kaldur said, resting a hand on M'gann's shoulder.

"Yeah!" Kid agreed. "You rocked this mission. Get it? Rocked?"  
"We get it." I told him sweetly. "We just don't care." He fake scowled at me before throwing his arm over my shoulders.

"Ignore them." Dick scoffed. "We're all just turbed you're on the team."

"Thanks." M'gann beamed at us all, even Superboy, who appeared to be sulking. "Me too."

**Sorry if I messed up in places. Finished this chapter at 5AM.**

**And I've been thinking of doing a spin-off series about…random things. Stuff that happens on the teams days off, y'know.**

**Okay, I just want an excuse to write more Jason stuff.**

**Thoughts?**

**Please review!**

**TTFN!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hi everybody! I uploaded this chapter at 2330, which is a good six hours earlier than my usual updating regime. I've gotta stop sleeping during the day.**

**Thanks to Grayson's Gal, empressofthedead, happybirthday 31301, ****piggythelaw, KrystlArtGirl, EvilCheesecake437**and fandomenforcer for reviewing. Also thanks to everyone who read/favourited/followed since last time.

**You guys are amazing.**

**Disclaimer: I own nada. Absolutely nada.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: First Mission**

**CARRIBEAN SEA  
****JUNE 22  
****20:08 ECT****  
**

"How come they had to send us at night?"

Robin glanced over at me, giving me a questioning look. "Why?" In response I held out my arm. The sleeves of my black and grey suit top stopped at my elbow, so he had a clear view of my forearm.

"Look how pale I am! That's _milkbottle_pale, that is."

"And your point is…?" he asked, clearly amused.

"My point, dearest Robin, is that Batman sent us to one of the hottest climates in all of the worlds, and he sends us at _night_. When the sun is _down_. Highly inconsiderate, if you ask me."

"I know!" Robin said, widening his eye. "Who says you can't have a dual identity _and_ an all-over tan?"

"We're approaching Santa Prisca." M'gann told us from her place at the helm of the Bio-Ship.

"Good." I breathed, leaning back in my seat. "Because, Robin's shitty sarcasm notwithstanding, if I don't get out of this flying death trap soon I may _literally_ kill someone." This was probably not my best choice of words, what with everyone being strung tighter…something tightly strung…I totally killed that metaphor. Yeah, English was never my best subject. But coming back to the mission, even Robin was tense. I wasn't nervous at all…is that weird? Isn't unusual emotional reactions to stressful and/or emotionally taxing situations a symptom of atypical autism?

Note to self: Google possible undiagnosed developmental disorders.

To get my mind off of itself I recapped the mission briefing Batman had given us. That's what you do on missions, right?

Off on a mission to Santa Prisca to find out about the illegal neo steroid, which is a strength enhancing drug, with the street name 'venom'. All shipments had been mysteriously cut off. The mission was strictly covert. Observe and report only. Yada yada yada…

_I cannot _believe_ he sent us at night. How am I supposed to tan? Moon burn?_

"Drop zone A in thirty." Ms. Martian reported. Aqualad stood, his chair disappearing into the floor. He tapped the golden A on his belt buckle and the red of his suit was swallowed by black. Stealth tech. I don't need it, but I kinda wish I did.

"Ready." Aqualad said, squaring his shoulders, getting ready for the drop.

Ms. Martian nodded. "Putting Bio-Ship in camouflage mode." As we drew closer to the Santa Prisca a hatch appeared in the floor of the Bio-Ship and Aqualad dived through. Not a minute later his voice sounded over the com link.

_Heat and motion sensors are patched. Data's now on a continuous loop. Move in._

Ms. Martian stopped the camouflaged Bio-Ship over 'drop zone B', which was just a clearing. Lines dropped down from the ceiling, complete with hooks to clip onto our belts. I really didn't need one. Kid Flash tapped the lightning bolt on the front of his suit, the bright yellow and red changing to black and dark grey.

"How cool is this?" he asked, giving a little twirl.

"You're _breathtaking_." I sighed, folding my hands against my cheek in what I assumed was a swooning position. I hadn't swooned before. I wasn't familiar with the gestures accompanied by it. He winked at me and I made a show of pretending to faith, slumping against Robin.

"Very impressive." M'gann held out her arms, and her blue skirt and white top morphed into a full black body suit, complete with her cloak and red X.

"That's cooler." I informed Wally, clipping the hook onto my "utility belt". Yes, I have a utility belt. What do I keep in the pouches?

Gummy bears.

"Uh, that works too." Wally grinned over at Superboy. "Hey Supey, not too late to put on the new 'stealth tech'."

Superboy, who was still in his civvies, simply crossed his arms and huffed. "No capes, no tights. No offense."

"None taken." I promised. I, personally, didn't see the appeal in capes either. Except for maybe twirling to make dramatic exits. And I wore _leggings_, not tights.

"It _totally_ works for you." M'gann said in a dreamy voice. I grinned, biting the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing. M'gann noticed my stare and quickly recovered. "In that you can totally do good work in those clothes." She sealed the deal with an awkward thumbs-up. Superboy just turned away and Ms. M pulled her hood up over her head, switching to camouflage. Probably to hide how much she was blushing.

_Aw, love struck Martian's are so cute._

A hatch opened in the floor of the Bio-Ship and Ms Martian jumped through, followed by Kid Flash, Robin and I. We landed easily on the forest floor and had precisely zero-point-four seconds to move before Superboy stepped on us. We all flung ourselves into the bushes as Superboy came hurtling down, cratering the ground beneath him. I stood stiffly, picking twigs out of my hair.

"Knew I didn't need a line." He said smugly as our teammates extracted themselves from the foliage.

"Yet creating a seismic event may not have helped us much with the 'covert'." Robin growled, still sitting on the ground. I trudged over to Superboy and smacked the back of his head.

"Twat." I snapped, because with Superboy that generally seems to work.

M'gann tapped the com link in her ear and filled Aqualad in on our status. "Aqualad, drop B is go."

'_Head for the factory'_ Kaldur's tinny disembodied voice sounded in my own ear. '_I'll track your GPS and rendezvous ASAP'_

"What's with all the short hand?" I asked to no one in particular. "Seriously, does being covert operatives mean we _have_ to talk like text messages?"

"Roger that Aqualad." Robin answered, ignoring me completely. He dashed off into the trees, the others hot on his heels.

"Fine." I grumbled, sprinting after them. "Don't tell me."

After an obscene amount of stealth running (regular running plus getting dirty looks every time you snap a twig and/or curse when a branch hits you in the face) we ended up on a cliff face. We made our way up the path, Robin taking the lead with rest of us close behind. While Robin was fiddling with his holo-computer when Superboy stopped dead, so suddenly that I walked straight into his and bounced off.

"Did you hear that?" he whispered.

"What, the sound of my nose breaking?"  
"No." He cocked his head to the side like a puppy, which looked kinda cute. "There it is again!"

"Uh, I don't here anything." Kid said. "Is this the whole 'super hearing' thing?"

"You do have great ears." M'gann breathed.

It's official. Subtlety is dead.

"Okay Rob." Kid whispered, turning to Robin. "Now what?"

And did he answer?  
No.

Why?  
Because he was _gone_.

"I'm gonna kill that little wanktard." I snarled, staring off in the direction he was last seen. Wasn't I his partner, being Batman's second protégée and all that? Least he could've done is told me he was doing his ninja vanishing act. I could do it too. After all, I _was_ trained to be a ninja. By real life ninjas!

No, really.

S.H.I.E.L.D. has a whole task force of secret ninjas that I'm not allowed to talk about.

Just pretend I didn't mention it.

Fury would eat me.

'_Kid_,' Aqualad's voice over the com link startled me. I'd totally forgotten he was around. '_Switch to inferred. See if you're being tracked_.'

Kid placed his goggles over his eyes and looked around. "Got a squad of armed bozo's incoming." He reported. I hopped up behind a fallen log, Superboy pressed against my side.

"Two squads." He corrected. Huh, I'd actually forgotten he had inferred vision. Not the type of thing one expects to forget. "But they'll meet each other before they find us."

"Lets just hope they're not on the same side." I murmured. The sound of distant gunshots filled the air before I'd even finished. "Okay, so they're not." I confirmed.

"No super hearing required now." Kid said as he moved from behind a bolder over to our log.

'_Swing wide_!' Aqualad ordered over the com. '_Steer clear_.'

"Yeah, yeah, just as soon as I find Rob." Kid waved off, hopping over the tree trunk and disappearing down the pathway.

"Kid!" I whisper-screamed after him. useless, obviously. "God, I'm surrounded by idiots!" I glanced over at Superboy and Ms. Martian. Supes had an eyebrow raised, M'gann was doing her best not to look offended. "Sorry, you know what I mean." I leapt over the fallen trunk and made my way down the path. I turned a corner and came out on a bank above a clearing, just in time to see Bane-yes, Bane-point a Barrett 50 calibre at Kid's head. Kid back flipped out of the way, almost getting peppered by a squad of guys in Kobra cult cloaks. I jumped down into the mêlée, clicking my fingers and sending two fireballs towards a Kobra goon. He dodged the first but the second set his robe alight, the flames snaking up his arm. As he furiously tried to put himself out I snapped my palms against the air and sent him hurling back against two more goons, two of Bane's people. The ground to my right suddenly erupted, bullets peppering the forest floor. I dived away just as the shooter swung, the earth were I had just been standing now littered with metal pellets. I swung around his line of fire and drove my elbow into his jaw, followed by a quick swipe to the throat, and he slumped to the ground, very much unconscious.

And then I heard: "What is wrong with you guys? Remember covert! Why didn't you follow my lead, vanish into the jungle?"

"That's what you were doing?" Kid called after driving his foot into a henchman's face. "Way to fill us in. We're not mind readers you know!" Ms. M chose this exact moment to hop two people off of a tree, bringing to our attention that she could, in fact, read minds. "Or I'm not anyway." Kid added.

"You told me I could only read the bad guys minds." M'gann reminded him. there was a grunt from behind and when I turned Aqualad was letting a Kobra goon fall to the floor, trembling with an electric current.

"Restrain them." Aqualad ordered, hoisting the man at his feet up. "And quickly. Before they awaken."

**SANTA PRISCA  
****JUNE 22  
****23:09 ECT****  
**

"I recognise these uniforms." Robin told us as Superboy and I tightened the last of the restrains. Tying your enemies to trees. Crude. But effective.

"Well yeah." I grunted before falling back on my butt rubbing my sore fingers. "They're the Kobra cult, right?"

"Yeah. But how did you know that?"

S.H.I.E.L.D.

"I dunno."

"Be that as it may." Aqualad interjected, folding his arms. "I am certain Batman would have mentioned it if he'd known a dangerous extremis was running Santa Prisca's venom operation."

"And since there's clearly no love lost between the cultists and those goons, I'm betting Kobra came in and tossed them out." added Robin.

"So that's why the normal supplies have been cut off." I rose onto the balls of my feet in a crouch. "Kobra's nicking it, but why? Super cultists?"

"Duh!" Kid exclaimed. "Now let's radio Bats and we'll be home in time for din-"

"These cultists aren't on venom." Robin butted in. "Kobra's hoarding the stuff. We don't leave. No until I know why."

"Until _you_ know why?" Kid asked incredulously, hands on his hips.

"This team needs a leader." Robin retorted.

"And it's you? Dude, you're a thirteen year old kid who ducked out on us without a word."

Robin laughed in his face. "And you're a mature fifteen!? You blew our cover first chance you got!" As Wally and Dick continued to argue, I zoned out completely, instead zoning in on the other team members conversation.

"Don't you wanna lead?" Ms M asked Superboy, who simply scoffed, shaking his head.

"You?" he asked.

"After the Mr Twister fiasco?"

"You did all right."

I don't know what surprised me more. The fact that Superboy had _actually smiled,_ or that Ms Martian could blush that violently. It looked physically painful.

"And what about you?" Kaldur asked me. I started, crooking an eyebrow.

"What about me what?" _Yeah, that makes sense._

"Why don't you lead us?" M'gann chimed in. I shook my head immediately.

"I'm only thirteen." I reminded them. "I'm literally _days_ older than Robin. If he's too young to lead then I am too."

"But you have proven before that you have skills as a leader." said Aqualad. "On both of the missions we have gone on thus far, you were the first to take command."

"Yeah, and both those times Kid Dipshit over there jumped up my ass." I snorted, rubbing my forearm. I was nervous. Why was I nervous? "I'm not…_commanding_ enough to be leader."

"You are." Aqualad assured me kindly, but with a sternness that meant he believed what he said. "Kid would have defied anyone who attempted to give him orders. You must not let his reaction shake your confidence. You could lead us Havok. You must have faith in yourself." I smiled down at the jungle floor, blushing slightly. I wasn't overly used to praise (except from maybe Pepper, but she didn't really count).

"I've no intention of taking the mantle 'leader' any time soon." I told him truthfully. My future was set in stone. I was destined to be the _leader_ of an international technological development firm worth trillions of dollars. I didn't want to _lead_ much else until I turned twenty one.

"You don't even have any powers!" Kid and Robin's argument was reaching a whole new level of obnoxiously loud.

"Neither does Batman!"

"Uh, you're not Batman."  
"Closest thing we've got!"

"BOYS!" They both leapt a foot off the ground and spun, wide-eyed, towards me. I squared my shoulders, deciding to practice what I would need for my future career as a C.E.O. Making boys scared. "I am _sick_ and _tired_ of the two of you behaving like _children_. We are in the middle of _enemy territory_, since you seem to have forgotten." The two stood, staring unblinking down at me. Well, Wally looked down. Dick was only an inch taller than I was, so we were pretty much evened out. "Not only are you _endangering_ the _lives_ of this _entire_ team with your idiocy, you're also wasting valuable time we should be using to track down Kobra. So," I clasped my hands together in front of me. "If the two of you are finished acting like whinging little shits, one of us needs to take control of this situation and tell the rest of us _what the fuck we're supposed to do_!" I took a breath, because shouting is hard work. "And if I hear one word out of either of you for the rest of this mission, I will personally tie you to that tree-" I pointed at a tree. "-and set you on fire. Have I made myself clear?"

They both nodded vigorously.

Mission accomplished.

"Such clever niños." Bane laughed from his vantage point…tied to a tree. "But really, you only know half the story. Let me show you the rest. Get you into the factory via my secret entrance." I nudged M'gann with my elbow, jerking my head in Bane's direction. She seemed to catch on, kneeling down beside the tree he was restrained by.

"There _is_ a secret entrance." she confirmed, brushing her bangs from her forehead and pressing her fingers to her temple. "But he _is_ hiding something."

"Uh, uh, uh, chica. Bane is not that easy." Ms Martian grunted, her previously glowing eyes snapping shut.

"He's mentally reciting _football scores_. In Español." She turned to us, throwing out an apologetic look. "This could take a while."

"Actually," Bane piped in. "It's not that complicated. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"Except, of course, when the enemy of your enemy is _also_ your enemy, and aforementioned enemy has tied you to a tree. In which case you've got very few options." I said, folding my arms.

"And what about you, hermana?" he asked. "What options do you and your friends have?" I scowled, grinding my back teeth together.

"Robin?" I asked, turning to the boy at my side. "What's your call?"

He seemed rather startled by my acknowledgement, but regained his composure quickly.

"He's right. We've got no choice." I bent down onto the balls of his feet, coming eye to eye with Bane. "Take us to this secret entrance" Robin told Bane. "But if you trick us, you'll have her to deal with." He pointed to me for emphasis.

Bane chuckled. "That's not a very big threat. And I do mean that literally." He eyed me with amusement, resting his gaze on my masked face. I crouched down beside him and placed my hand against the trunk, right by his ear.

My newly acquired powers didn't create earthquakes.

They created shockwaves.

And I sent a small amount of these shockwaves into the bark beneath my palm, causing the wood to shake violently, crumbling from the inside out. Bane grunted as slivers of timber as sharp as knives jutted out into his back.

"Soy una amenaza muy grande." I told him sweetly, extracting my hand from the wood. "No nos engañemos." I rose to my feet and turned to the team. "Take it away Rob." I said, picking the tiny splinters from my hand. "You're team leader, after all."

**SANTA PRISCA  
****JUNE 23  
****01:03 ECT****  
**

Bane spent the next hour leading us through the thick jungle, eventually bringing us to the side of the mountain. The others went to the ledge to investigate. I hung back with Bane. I was officially his babysitter. Since he was at least four times my size, it was rather unsettling.

"Your Spanish is impressive." he told me, reverting easily to his native tongue. He spoke fast, with an odd accent I found hard to place, but I understood him nonetheless. "Still very formal, but what can you do?" I glanced at his out of the corner of my eye.

"Thank you. I had good teachers. However, we are not here to make small talk."

"Ah, all business." he chuckled. "But, if you don't mind me asking, why do you take orders from the boy in the cape?"

"He's our team leader." I replied curtly. "I have to follow his orders."

"If you say so sister." Bane turned again to the other team members, watching them as they in turn watched the Kobra cultists. "All I'm saying is you could have fooled me, what with the way you were screaming at those two."

_I was having a polite conversation with a dangerous criminal. _

_So frickin' weird_.

"You heard that, did you?"

"Quite frankly, it was hard not to."

"Havok!" Robin called. "Get over here. We need to strategize."

"Estaré ahí en-uh, I mean I'll be there in a second!" I turned again to Bane, who was smiling broadly beneath his mask. "You had better not be playing us, or you will regret it." He laughed, walking off of the beaten path while I made my way over to the team. I'm almost sure I heard him say 'tanto potencial desperdiciado'.

So much wasted potential.

Meaning…what?  
"We need to identify our mystery buyer." Aqualad said, leaning against the mountainside.

"Just what I was thinking." Kid seconded.

"Yeah." Rob scoffed. "You're the thinker."

"Sarcasm?" Kid asked. "Dude, a real leader would focus on getting answers."

_Screw this shit._

"Bane!" I called, making him turn. I decided to opt for Spanish again. Anything to get on his good side. "Could you please show us the entrance? Time is limited." _And this team is composed of idiots._

"Not a problem niña." He turned and-rather easily-hoisted a massive bolder into the air, revealing a hidden tunnel.

"What did you say?" Superboy asked, having materialised at my elbow.

"I just asked nicely."

"Your answers," Bane said, addressing us all-hence the English. "are this way."

The hallway he led us down was dank and dark and, like, really creepy. I practically jumped out of my skin every time I saw a spider, inching closer and closer to Aqualad until eventually our forearms brushed against each other with each step we took. He glanced down at me, obviously aware of my unease.

"Are you alright?" he asked. I didn't want the others-okay, Wally-knowing one of my biggest fears, so I decided to try out my Atlantean.

"I'm terrified of spiders" I admitted, saying the words slowly, rolling the foreign syllables along my tongue. "They're everywhere. I can't stop looking at them."

Kaldur didn't seem to be listening. "You speak Atlantean?"

"Yes." I smiled, even as a black blob behind him skittered from one side of the wall to the other. "I've always found your people fascinating. Your language, your technology, your magic. Some day I hope to actually see Poseidonis, but we all know that's a long shot."

"Where did you learn?" Kaldur asked. He was usually never this persistent. Were there not many surface-dwellers semi-fluent in Atlantean?

"Namor taught me."

"Prince Namor?" he asked, and I nodded. Namor had taught me whenever he was at the Avengers mansion, telling me phrases and words I might find useful. When I'd spent a summer at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters (the summer my father was _convinced_ I was a mutant), he'd been a member of the X-Men. So over the course of three months, I learned how to speak Atlantean, got my ass kicked repeatedly in something cutely called 'The Danger Room' and determined once and for all that I am not a mutant. Why that took three months, I don't know. I think dad just wanted me out of the house.

I was a very antisocial eight year old.

The seven of us came to an abrupt halt, just in front of a red metal door. Bane pushed a button and the door unlocked, Robin shoved his head into the room, gave us the all clear and squeezed through the gap. The rest of us followed suit but, of, course, Robin was gone.

Again.

Bane asked if he had already been caught, which we all denied as…super unlikely. Kid volunteered to go find him and ran off without another word.

"Great chain of command." Bane grumbled, giving Aqualad the stink eye. Aqualad returned it seven fold. I was very proud. A beeping sounded out through the chamber-which I released was a loading dock, meaning the beeping was a trunk. Aqualad, Ms. Martian, Superboy and I ducked behind a stack of crates to avoid being seen, Bane standing in the shadows beside us. The others were chattering about the size of the shipment, but I wasn't paying attention.

I had caught sight of a yellow cape.

I crept away from my team, slipped around the side of another crate, and started to climb. I'd seen Robin in the computer centre just above our heads, so getting up wasn't all that difficult. Getting in way a far more complicated task. I crate I was perched on was twenty feet away from the control room, at least six feet beneath the windows. I couldn't be seen by anyone inside. And they couldn't see me.

There was a small catwalk to the left of the control room, barely a foot wide. Just wide enough to land on. I pushed against the air, propelling myself across the space. I grabbed the handrail with three fingers, almost fell backwards, lost my footing and smacked my tailbone off the hard metallic floor.

_Well, there goes my dignity._

_Along with the feeling in my legs._

I forced myself upright and hobbled over to the door of the control room. I knocked lightly. After a moment Wally's voice sounded from the other side.

"Who is it?"

"Jesus Christ reborn!" I called back in a sing song voice. The door immediately swung open. Kid was eating a protein bar.

"Sup Jesus." he said as he stepped aside to let me through. Robin was tinkering away at the computers.

"So, wadaya got?" I asked.

"There are three components to the venom being produced." Wally told me, talking around his food. Such a gentleman. "The first is standard venom, and the third is the Blockbuster formula from Cadmus. Combine those together and you've got some seriously bad news. Add in our mystery ingredient and who knows what the result'll be."

I walked over to the computer monitors, stopping behind Robin's chair. I recognised the chemical formulas immediately.

Red one, venom.

Blue one, Blockbuster.

Green one in the middle…

"Oh my God." I breathed, eyes wide with absolute horror.

"What?" Robin asked. "Do you know what it is?"

"This is very, very bad."

"Yeah, Havok, we kinda got that." Kid told me, crumpling up his wrapper. "So just tell us what it is."

"That's…" I blinked, desperate for it not to be real. But it was. Vita-rays and all.

"That's the super soldier serum."

**Hey guys! So, remember last time when I asked for your thoughts on a spin off series? The overall reaction seemed to be 'DO IT NOW!' So, I'm gonna do it! I've already written a few chapters, and here's a little intro as to what you can expect:**

**-batfam bonding (more Jason!)**

**-team bonding (because you've gotta have soma dat)**

**-Brooklyn annoying everyone**

**-Brooklyn explaining to Superboy what a 'wanktard' is**

**-EVEN MORE MARVEL IN MY DC CAUSE I'M A BAD ASS MUDDAFUGGA! Characters like Wiccan and Hulkling will make regular appearances, with others-such as Jubilee and Iceman-showing up here and there.**

**-OC's English BFF's (who are mutants. Don't think they'll be boring)**

**BUT WAIT! There's more!**

**I wanna know what makes my readers happy. So if you wanna see something, leave a review with your request and I'll write a chapter on it. simples! It can be anything from Havok/Robin cuteness to Havok/Red Arrow ultimate smackdown!* You can also request weird stuff like…Bruce and Brooklyn playing Halo, or Green Arrow attempting to teach her how to drive stick shift. Suggestions on Marvel characters you want to see are great too! But remember, the Avengers are gone, so unless some seriously ghostly shit is going down, they can't be incorporated into the story. However, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four and all the other Marvel Knights are alive and kickin' and just waiting to be called a twat!**

**There is one teeny tiny problem…I can't think of a name for this story. So leave a comment, gimme some suggestions for titles. Also let me know what you thought of this chapter (since I'm insecure and gratification fuels my crumbling ego).**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!**

**Love you lots, like jelly tots!**

***but don't bother with that one since I've already written a chapter where they basically try to kill each other…fun times! **


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: What's this? An update ****_three days_**** after the last one! What is the world coming to?**

**As always, thanks to EvilCheescake437, tula453, fandomenforcer, piggythelaw, RtheAwesome, lostgamer64 and KrystalArtGirl for reviewing. Thanks to everyone who read/favourited/followed Havok since last time.**

**I loves you guys!**

**Disclaimer: if I owned Young Justice there would be a season three. I don't, so there isn't. *sob sob***

* * *

**Chapter 7: Teamwork B* &%**

**SANTA PRISCA**

**JULY 23**

**01:43 ECT**

"Super soldier serum!" Kid spluttered. "Like the stuff they use on…on…"

"On Captain America and Isaiah Bradley and Taskmaster and lots more." I finished for him. "If you two were right about the effects of the venom-blockbuster combo being permanent, then adding the serum could…wait." I looked closer at the cluster of green chemicals. They looked…wrong. But at the same time, familiar. I reached across Robin and taped a few keys, pulling up files on the serum's components.

"This is Master's serum." I murmured to myself, speed reading the text. I had spent enough time in the lab with Ant Man analysing the SSS that I knew a counterfeit when I saw one.

"Who's Master?" Robin asked, squinting at the screen.

"Master Man." I told him. When he blinked stupidly, I elaborated. "He was the Nazi's response to Captain America. The serum they used was altered, giving Master extra powers like flight and super strength."

"That's bad." Kid stated. So intelligent, that boy. "What happened to him?"

"He died trying to save Cable." I answered flippantly, fully aware they probably had no idea who Cable was. "But the German version of the serum was flawed. Why would Kobra use the defective version?"

"How was it flawed?" asked Robin, scooting over so I could sit on the chair next to him.

"Lohmer's-that is, Master Man's-powers crapped out on him. He lost all his abilities and started aging a decade a minute."

And then a dark thought hit me.

"You don't think…"

"That this specific balance of chemicals could right the problems with the serum?" Kid ran his eyes over the screen again. "Yeah, that's a high possibility."

"How did Kobra get access to Blockbuster and SSS?" I pondered, completely baffled.

"Our mystery buyer must be Kobra's supplier! But how would they have access to both?" Robin asked. Kid and I shrugged "So, we've got a Blockbuster Venom Super formula and no idea where it comes from. That's just great." He lifted his hand and activated his com link. "Aqualad, we've-dammit!" he swore. "Static. What do we do now?"  
"You're our leader." I reminded him. "So lead."

In the end we managed to agree on a fairy simple three-step plan. Step one: download anything and everything centred around the Blockbuster Venom Superdrug (or BVS for short. At least the street man was catchy). Step two: locate the others. Step three: try not to die.

A simple plan, yet an affective one.

The three of us ran into the main cargo shed and were met with a stupendous show. Aqualad vs. Cultists. Superboy vs. an orc from Lord of the Rings.

"These villains are getting uglier by the minute." I mumbled to Kid. "Why can't a group of male models go darkside?"

"Yeah. The contenders of America's Next Top Model try to blow up the world." Kid snickered. "C'mon, let's kick some Kobra butt!" And with that he sped off.

Robin and I shared a grin, throwing ourselves off the catwalk. I flipped through the air and landed on the shoulders of a cultist, shoving him to the ground. The world around me immediately exploded with gunfire and, yelping in an embarrassingly high tone, I dove behind a tankard for cover. Aqualad was behind the container to my right; Kid was using a wooden beam as a shield in front of me.

"Ms Martian, radio is jammed!" Kaldur called. _Where _was_ M'gann? I honestly couldn't remember seeing her_. "Link us up."

'_Everyone online?_' I shuddered as Ms Martian's voice flooded into my mind. After the initial reaction of 'this is creepy and unnatural and I hate it!' I adjusted to the extra voices in my head.

'_Yeah_.' Came Superboy's dejected sigh.

'_You know it beautiful.'_ This, of course, from Kid.

'_Can you just _not_ be you for the next, like, ten minutes?'_ I asked, glaring over at him. '_We've got bigger shit to deal with than the fact that you're lonely.'_

_'I'm not-'_

_'Havok! Kid! Focus!' _Aqualad snapped. We both promptly shut up. _'We need to regroup.'_

_'Busy now.' _Robin announced.

'_Robin, now_!' Aqualad growled, springing from behind the tank. Using his water bearers he flung two cultists back against the wall. Superboy was punching things, Kid was running around, and Ms Martian had made a reappearance, telekinetically smashing things into other things. I was setting stuff on fire. Robin was going all Boy Wonder on the cultists asses by my side.

Good times.

'_We need to retreat_.' Aqualad said, dodging a stream of fire from the catwalk. '_Kid, clear a path.'_ Wally mowed through the group of cultists blocking the way between us and the door, knocking them all to the ground. We all bolted through the side door into a tunnel, Kid upfront with Superboy in the rear. We sprinted down the tunnel, cultists and the orc dude hot on our heels.

"Where…the hell…is Bane?" I huffed out, pushing my legs faster and faster. My thighs ached, my calves burned and there was _definitely_ a stone in my shoe. Bane being M.I.A. was only adding to my annoyance.

"Dunno." Robin panted. "Do we…really…care?"

"Superboy, the support beams!" Aqualad called. Superboy knocked out two of the wooden structures that kept the tunnel ceiling upright. The roof caved almost instantly, giving us seconds to prevent being crushed. I dived out of the way just as a boulder twice my size landed were I had been standing.

"I'm sick of shit falling on us." I grumbled, slumped against the tunnel wall. Aqualad cracked a glow stick, illuminating the cavern in an eerie red light.

"How could my first mission as leader go so wrong?" Robin wondered sadly. The Boy Wonder showing insecurity?  
Somewhere, Hell was freezing over.

"You do have the most experience." Aqualad admitted. "But perhaps that is exactly what has left you unprepared. Fighting alongside Batman your roles are…defined. You two do not need to talk. But this team is new. And the leader must be clear. Explicit. He cannot vanish into the jungle and expect others to play part in an unknown plan."

"So I'm supposed to hold everyone's hands?" Robin snapped, grunting in frustration. And then he admitted what we were all thinking. "Who am I kidding? You should lead us Kaldur. You're the only one who can."

"Please!" Kid hollered. "I can run circles-"

"Kid c'mon. You know he's the one. We all do."

"Hello Megan!" _Seriously, where the hell did she get that?_ "it's so obvious."

"You're the chosen one, Kally." I beamed up at him from my position on the floor. Yes, I was sitting down. I was tired.

"Coulda told ya." Superboy stated. At which point we all stared at Wally, the last to the Aqualad support party.

"Okay." he said simply. No other form of acceptance needed, apparently.

Kaldur stepped up to Robin, towering over the younger boy. "Then I accept the burden. Until you are ready to lift it from my shoulders. You were born to lead this team. Maybe not now, but soon." Robin smiled, and Aqualad smiled back, and the six of us were a right smiley, happy bunch. Since we were neck deep in goons trying to kill us, our happiness seemed a little unreasonable.

"Alright, our first priority is preventing that shipment from leaving this island."

**SANTA PRISCA  
****JULY 23  
****02:31 ECT****  
**

"So Sportsmaster's the supplier slash buyer, but it still doesn't track." Robin reported, fiddling with the files we had 'acquired' from the database. She what I did there? "He doesn't have the juice to acquire the Blockbuster formula _or_ the super soldier serum or to get Kobra to do his dirty work."

"And the brain power needed to combine these chemicals is scary high." Kid added. "That took some major nerdage."

"I believe the expression is 'tip of the iceberg'." Aqualad stopped dead in front of me, and I peeped around his shoulder to see what was going on. In the middle of the exit to the tunnel stood Bane, a small black object in his hand, more of the same at his feet.

"Halt, niños." He ordered. "I'm feeling explosive.

"Um, I believe we've already 'halted'." I pointed out, stepping from behind Aqualad. I followed Ban's gaze to the dirt ceiling above us. Little plastic boxes with blinking green lights were spaced along the beams above us.

Explosives.

_Shiiiiiiiiiit_.

"You betrayed us. Why?" Aqualad asked. I didn't much feel like pointing out that Bane was, in fact, a _bad guy_. And betrayal is kind of what bad guys _do_. It's impolite to correct your leader.

"I want my factory back." Bane said simply. "So I forced you into a situation where you would either take down my enemies, or die trying."

'Kid, you'll need a running start.'

"If the latter, the Justice League would certainly have come to avenge their sidekicks." Bane continued. "And when the smoke cleared, Santa Prisca would be mine once more. Blowing the tunnel with you inside should have the same effect." He lifted his arm, about to push his thumb down on the detonator.

But a flash of black and red stopped him in his tracks.

"With what?" Bane turned to see Kid Flash, twirling the detonator between his fingers. "This trigger thingie?"

Bane growled and swung for Kid, but Ms M used her telekinesis to fling him upward. He stayed there, suspended in mid air, turning around and around until I felt sick watching him. Superboy stepped up, positioning himself bellow Bane.

"Finally." he smiled, placing one foot behind the other. "Drop him."

Ms Martian did, and Bane plummeted downwards, and just before he fell on Superboy, Superboy drove his fist into his jaw, sending Bane flying. He soared through the air and landed in a flurry of limbs with a thud.

"Serves you right, you tosspot." I snickered. Superboys reaction, of course, was:

"What does 'tosspot' mean?"

**SANTA PRISCA  
****JULY 23  
****03:02 ECT****  
**

"Are we ready?" Aqualad asked us. We were huddled together just beneath the tree line, watching the batch of Venom being transported onto a helicopter. Kobra and Sportsmaster were overseeing the transaction, along with a few dozen cultists, the orc and a chick with bright orange hair and a half face tattoo. No idea who she was, but she didn't _look_ all that menacing.

"Born ready." Kid smiled, fist bumping Robin.

"Very well. You know the plan?" we all nodded. "Alright. Kid, you're up first."

Wally saluted before dashing towards the cultists, bowling over six before the other had their guns out. the rest of us sprinted away from the trees, Superboy leaping into the air and cratering the ground when he landed some forty feet away. I clicked my fingers and sent fireballs in every direction, shouting out 'sorry!' when I almost set Robin's cape on fire. I slammed my elbow into the jaw of a goon who'd come for too close for comfort, sent a kick into the stomach of another.

Robin, Kid Flash, Superboy, Aqualad, me.

We were the distraction.

M'gann was the real player.

"Aqualad, gimme something to work with!" I called out. He nodded and sent a stream of water my way. I caught the stream and sent it crashing into a cultist, coiling it back like a whip and lashing out again. Before I could do anything else there was a eruption of gunfire to my right. I lost control of the water, the liquid crashing to the ground, totally inanimate. A cultist nicked my arm with a blast from his plasma gun, blood seeping from the shallow cut. I spun around and hurled a fireball in the general direction of my attacker, only to be pelted with the butt of his riffle in the side of the head. as crashed to the ground, landed hard, but managed to sweep my legs in an arc and bring the goon down too. I gave him a swift kick into the jaw and he slumped. I groaned as I got to my feet, head reeling.

I glanced around in the hopes that my team was doing a little better.

Superboy was being pelted by Sportmaster, who had Ms Martian in a choke hold.

Okay, maybe not.

I dashed forward, promptly ignoring the ringing in my ears, and lunged at Sportsmaster from behind. He spun, driving his knee into my stomach. I flew back and hopped off of the side of the chopper, landing hard on my right knee when I slid to the ground. My distraction did little to help Ms M. It did, however, give Superboy a window of opportunity. He hurtled towards Sportsmaster, shoving him to the ground. M'gann broke free and shoved Sportsmaster back-telekinetically-and he shot back into the helicopter. He rolled to his feet and stood, but made no move to strike again.

"And this, kiddies, is where I make my exit." The bay doors swung closed and the copter took off, throwing a huge cloud of dust into the air. I covered my eyes with my arm, shielding them from the dirt.

"D'you got it?" I asked M'gann, who held up the sleak black detonator proudly. Grinning with a Cheshire cat, I sang "And a-one, and a-two and a-"

_Boom! _

Actually, all the explosives had a lapse in between, so it was more like _bu-bu-bu-boom!_

The chopper veered off to the left, dropping down in a tail spin as the roters kicked out. a little black blob I assumed was Sportmaster floated away from the wreckage. Said wreckage crashed into the factory, effectively destpring the shipment of Venom and any hopes of future batches being created.

What a happy accident!

"I can't _believe_ that actually worked!" I laughed, rubbing my sore shoulder. The cut was shallow and stung more than it bled. But it _did_ sting. A lot. "How'd the others get on?" No sooner had I said the words when Robin's voice echoed through the clearing.

"Good. 'Cause this mosquito's mighty concerted of your pain!"

Mmkay…what?

Turns out Kobra had been standing on Robin-who gets stood on a lot-but he wasn't anymore. Robin backflipped to stand in line with the rest of us. I clicked my fingers, summoning fire, and gave Kobra my best 'fuck with me at thine own peril' stare. He seemed to get the message.

"Another day perhaps." And with that, he vanished into the depths of the jungle. Robin ran forward, pushing a clump of leaves aside, but came back to us Kobra-less.

"We picked the right guy to lead." He announced, approaching Aqualad. "Automatically making you the right guy to explain this mess to Batman!"

"You ain't half a sneaky bastard." I laughed, thumping him on the shoulder.

"Hey!" he threw his arm around my waist and pulled me into his side. "I try."

**MOUNT JUSTICE**

**AUGUST 4**

**13:06 EDT**

I'm not a religious person. Never have been. My father was an atheist, so I myself didn't actually believe in God. Yes, I've met Gods. But I mean _God_ God. Big-guy-in-the-sky, turning-water-into-wine God.

Be that as it may, in that exact moment I was praying to _God_ God, along with Allah and Buddha and Odin and everyone else that Batman would make my death swift and painless.

Because with the six of us standing in a line while he paced in front, I actually thought he was going to kill us.

"A simple recon mission." He said, leaning into Kaldur, who visibly struggled against his urge to squirm. "Observe and report. You will each receive a written evaluation detailing your many mistakes. Until then," you will report to the execution chamber. "Good job."

Embarrassing as it is, I think I may have peed a little in relief.

Never repeat that.

"No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy." Bats continued. "How you adjust to the unforeseen is what determines success. And how you choose who leads determines character." I stole a glance in Aqualad's direction. He and Dick were both smiling proudly.

Boys and their power cravings.

**WAYNE MANOR**

**AUGUST 4**

**13:56 EDT**

"So, let me make sure I've got this straight." I shrugged off my jacket, throwing it onto the coat rack inside the front door of Wayne Manor. "You're not made."

"Nope." Bruce answered, fixing his suit jacket. We'd just com up out of the Batcave, and he was off to a board meeting at Wayne Tech.

"But we're still being punished." Dick piled on, walking at Bruce's other side as we followed him into the yard.

"Exactly." Bruce smiled down at him, then at me. "You disobeyed orders. I can't let you get away with it, now can I?"

"But it was ages ago!" I protested.

"Doesn't matter. So, my grand punishment is…" He scrunched up his eyebrows, deep in though. "No Xbox for a week."

Dick groaned loudly, shoving his hands into his pockets.

My reaction was a tad more dramatic.

"WHAT!" I shrieked, jumping a foot in the air. "You _can't_! Teddy and I have a GTA tournament this weekend. We have to practice!"

"What's GTA?" Bruce asked.

"Grand Theft Auto." Dick murmured.

"We got _hammered_ last time Bruce!" I whined, clinging to his arm. "We have to practice and if I'm the reason we lose Teddy will _murder_ me!"

"Should've considered that when you were off attacking Kobra cultists." He told me, bending down to kiss my forehead while he opened the car door. Alfred was already behind the steering wheel.

"This is cruel." I whimpered, jutting out my bottom lip.

"And hysterical!"

I spun around, dropping the 'cutey cute' façade in favour of savage anger. "Zip it Todd!"

"Aw, don't be like that Brooke!" Jason snickered as he strolled across the yard, looking far too happy with himself. "If it makes you feel better you can watch me play."

"I'm going to kill you in your sleep."

"I'll start sleeping with a shotgun."

"How did these two turn out so violent?" Bruce asked Dick, who shrugged simply.

"They just don't have my charm."

**C'est finí! So, my lovely, lovely reader, I'm sorry to say that the next instalment of Havok wont be up for a while. I'm off to Alicante for the week, and I'll be too busy burning to write. **

**Seriously, everyone knows the average melting point of an Irish person is twenty seven degrees! **

**If I haven't updated within two weeks, it's because I'm dead.**

**But I haven't just left you with nothing, my lovelies. Of course I haven't. Because that spin-off I've been bitching about for the last week and a half has been born unto this world, and its name is 'Immaturity At Its Finest'.**

**Yeah, I actually named it that.**

**I've posted the first three chapters for your viewing pleasure, so check them out if you so wish.**

**Don't forget to review, let me know what your thoughts were on this chapter. Anyone who knows who 'Teddy' is, I totally love you.**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will see you when I get back!**

**TTFN**

**-skullcandy**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Sup, my lovely readers! So, my holiday is ****_officially_**** over and I ****_officially_**** start school in two days so I typed as fast as my little fingers allowed in order to give you the update I know (****_hope_****) you've all been waiting for!**

**Thanks to everyone who read/favourited/followed Havok since last time!**

**In response to all my wonderful reviewers:**

**KrystalArtGirl:** I'm glad you find my story pee-your-pants terrifying, gut-wrenchingly awful and in general unpleasant (I don't like rollercoaster's, so that's for why).  
**RtheAwesome: **yes, I did have to leave (none refundable ticket) but do not fear! I have returned to you!  
**piggythelaw: **I try to be as sarcastic, snide and narcissistic as possible. Happy it's appreciated. And I'm glad you liked it!  
**SnowWolf22: **And we have a winner (can we be besties now?)  
**EvilCheescake437:_ thank you! And really, better me than heroine. There's a good chance I won't ruin your life and eventually kill you.  
_****lostgamer64: **so helpful…:)  
**Bookworm:** honestly, I wasn't planning on it. In Havok, Brooklyn was conceived when her father was in his early twenties. The Avengers died just a decade later. Not much time for the baby making. So-seeing as how in _The Next Avengers_ the kiddies are born after the Avengers retire-they really can't be slotted into my story arc. Though I might bring in Hawkeye at some point because I LOVE Hawkeye. I'm not making any promises, but Mockingbird* is alive in this universe (I have my own universe!) so Francis might be a possibility. As for the others (namely James and Pym) they definitely won't be making an appearance.

_*I always pictured Bobbi Morse as his mother. Makes sense though._

**I just felt like saying a little something to each of you guys. I know 90% of it was sarcasm, but…meh.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, though I totally wish I did. I want an iPhone and my pocket money just isn't cutting it.**

* * *

**Chapter 8: On the Road Again**

**WAYNE MANOR**

**AUGUST 3**

**13: 11 EDT**

Don't get me wrong.

I love my friends, I really do.

But it's hard to love someone when they're trying to perforate your eardrums.

"_He WHAT_!"

I held the phone away from my ear as Teddy continued to scream. As much as I wanted to talk to him, I was already late for a training session with Black Canary, so I really didn't have time to listen to him shriek.

"I'm sorry Tee." I apologised, hopping around on one foot while I tied my boot laces on the other. "But what can I do? Bruce hid my Xbox _and_ all the cables _and_ all the controllers in three separate locations. He told me so." I stomped down to make sure my boot was on right, then ran down the stairs to the landing. I made my way into Bruce's study, pushed the keys on the piano and stepped into the dark elevator that appeared before me. I hopped up and down on the balls of my feet, willing the lift to go faster. "I don't have the time or energy to look for them all. You've seen the size of his house. I'd die of old age before I found them."

"_But what about GTA_?" Teddy whined. I couldn't help but smile at his childishness. Someone needed to tell that boy he was fifteen, not five.

"I'll still go." I promised, speed walking through the Batcave to the Zeta-tube. "I'm not _cancelling_ on you, I'm just telling you we're gonna lose. Badly. But who cares if we get creamed at the tournament. Isn't it all about the taking part?"

There was a very long pause. I stopped in front of the Zeta-tube, holding the phone away from my face again just to make sure I hadn't accidentally hung up. I hadn't.

"Teds?"

More silence.

"You still there?"  
"_WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN TAKING PART_?" he demanded, making my ears ring. "_Since when have you ever cared about taking part? You've never cared about taking part. It's always been win or die with you. If you're not first, you're last. Just like Will Ferrell taught us!"_

"Actually it was his dad that said that."

_"What is Bruce Wayne doing to you?" _he asked, even as I pulled off my glasses and secured my domino mask over my eyes._ "You're loosing your edge, B_."

"I'm not loosing anything. I just said that to try and make you feel better. We're gonna get hammered."

"_Yeah_." He sighed, his breath making the line crackle. "_We kinda suck_."

"No we don't! We just haven't practiced that much."

"_Sure B, you keep telling yourself that_."

"Look on the bright side." I thought for a moment, trying to come up with a bright side. Eventually I settled on a passable one. "I'll introduce you to Billy!"

"_He's the guy who stole my rightful title as your B.F.F, right?"_

"Yeah." I laughed. "Though you know I'd probably have to put the twins ahead of you. They'd kill me if I didn't."

"_So I'm your _forth_ best friend?"_ he asked, pretending to be offended. "_I don't even make your top _three_? I can't believe it! How will I go on?"_

"Are you telling me I'm your best friend?"

"_Of course not. You have cooties_."

I laughed, called him a wanker, told him I was sorry about the tournament, told him he was a prick, and hung up. When I stepped through the Zeta-tube, my stomach was doing back flips.

I was twenty minutes late.

Canary was gonna _kill_ me.

_Recognize: Havok, B-zero-four._

Everyone turned on me. Black Canary, Superboy, Ms Martian, Aqualad, Kid Flash and Robin. And Manhunter, for some reason.

"H-hiya."

"Good." Canary said, smirking, a mischievous glint in her eye. "So glad you could join us Havok. Superboy and I were just about to spar, but I think you would make a better opponent." I gaped at her. Then at Superboy, who looked pissed. Then at my gathered team, who were displaying varied emotions, from concern to amusement (cough cough Robin).

"Can I take rain check on that?" I asked feebly, rubbing my arm. Canary raised an eyebrow, jerking her head towards Superboy. I stepped up, a few feet from Superboy.

_Just calm down_, I told myself_. It's only Superboy. He's your friend. He won't hurt you._

_But then…I do call him a twat a lot._

"Yeah, shouldn't I spar someone else?" Superboy asked. "If you're trying to prove I need training, shouldn't I fight someone my own size?" he glanced down at me then, almost as an afterthought. "No offence Havok."

"And yet I am still offended." I grumbled, eyeing him menacingly. I'd spent my whole life dealing with other people expecting me to be weak because I'm small, or spoiled because I'm rich, or crazy because I used to see a shrink. Really, I hadn't expected it from my friend. "C'mon Supey." I placed one foot behind the other, bending my knees slightly in a fighting stance, hands lose at my sides. "Let's 'ave ya."

Superboy grunted an agreement, sliding his leg back into a stance similar to mine. We circled each other for a moment before he lunged. I stepped back, reeling in with an elbow to his jaw. I followed with three blows to his head in quick succession, then retreated. Superboy scowled, teeth clenched so hard I thought they'd snap.

"Good." Canary said to Superboy, hands on her hips. "You're angry. But don't react. Channel that anger to-"

Superboy cried out and rushed at me again. I jumped, planted a foot on his chest and sprang back, making him stumble. I landed in a crouch a few feet away, next to the other members of the team. Robin was giggling like a hyena, Wally looked exceptionally happy, Aqualad held a state of careful indifference and I'm pretty sure M'gann was horrified.

Superboy stampeded again, bringing his fist up. I dodged to the side, dropped to the floor and swept my leg in a wide arc. He toppled, landing hard. Before he had time to recover I sprung, straddling his chest with one hand pinning his head down by the hair. The other hand I raised, letting it glow white-hot. Superboy tried to toss me off but I dug my knees into his sides and brought my fist down next to his head, nicking his ear and almost setting his hair alight.

For all of you wondering how a thirteen year old girl that's five feet tall could take down the Boy of Steel, remember this.

I've been training to kick ass since I was in diapers.

"Trust me love." I smirked, enjoying this little show tremendously. "You need to train." I rose to my feet and stepped back, offering Superboy my hand. He slapped it away, pushing himself up.

"That's it!" he growled. "I'm done."

"Training is mandatory." Canary told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Superboy shook it off, but before he could retort the holo computer blinked to life and Batman appeared on screen. We all gathered around the monitor as he began to speak.

"Batman to the Cave. Hours ago a new menace attacked Green Arrow and Black Canary. The attacker was capable of studying, then duplicating the powers and abilities of its opponents. Arrow called in reinforcements, which proved to be disastrous as our foe gained more and more power with each new combatant."

"Whoa." Kid breathed. "One guy with the powers of the entire League."

"That's very, _very_ bad." I murmured, chewing on my fingernails.

"In the end it took eight Leaguers four hours to defeat and dismantle the android." Batman continued.

"An android?" Robin asked, pretty much mirroring my thoughts. In my experience, androids always meant one of two things. Ultron or Sentinels.

I'm sure you understand why I don't like them.

Even back when they guarded the Cube the Ultron bots creeped me out…

"Who made it?" Robin inquired. "T.O. Morrow?"

"Good guess Robin, but Red Tornado doesn't think so."

"The technology bares the signature of Professor Ivo." Manhunter informed us solemnly.

Truth be told, I had no idea who they were on about.

"Ivo?" Aqualad asked, sounding stunned. "But, Ivo's dead."

And that would be why.

"So we all thought." Canary said. "Or hoped."

Batman continued on to explain our roles in the mission. The parts of the android were being taken to two separate locations inside two heavily fortified military-issue trucks. Along with the two real trucks, four decoy trucks were also being deployed, just in case. We were being sent out in teams of three to guard the two real trucks.

Road trip.

Sweet.

**LITCHFIELD COUNTY**

**AUGUST 3**

**20:08 EDT**

"Why are you wearing your mask?" Ms. Martian asked me as I fixed it over my eyes. We were all gathered behind the bushes, bikes at the ready. The Leaguers were in the process of loading Amazo into the trucks.

"My glasses won't fit under the helmet." I told her.

"Uh, there's these new things." Wally interjected. "They're called contacts."

Dick snorted. "Yeah, like that' gonna happen. The one time she had to wear contacts, she almost clawed her eyes out." He scratched his chin for a moment, contemplating something. "As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure she tried to claw my eyes out too."

"You kept making fun of me." I pointed out. "How else was I to react?"

"We're leaving." Superboy pointed out. It was true; three of the trucks had already left the clearing. I revved my bike, the engine purring to life like a content kitten. I grinned, slipped my helmet on over my head and kicked off, speeding after the forth truck as it pulled away. Dick was just to my left, Superboy at his other side. We drove in silence for a few miles, just the sound of the wind rushing past and the occasional _thwack_ as the truck hit a pothole.

Suddenly, Dick spoke. "If dislike is the opposite of like, is disaster the opposite of aster?"

"Um…sure, why not?"

"No, seriously!" Dick continued. "Aster: instead of things going wrong, they go right. Wadaya you think Superboy?"

We both looked over, but he didn't look back. He didn't say anything, didn't _do_ anything to acknowledge us at all. He just scowled at the ground in front of him.

"You oright?" I asked. I slowed down for a fraction of a second, swerved around Dick's motorcycle and pulled up again at Superboy's other side.

"Clearly you're not feeling the aster." Dick piped in. _What is it with him and back-formations? _"What's wrong?"

"Canary." Superboy bit out. "What business does she have teaching combat skills to a guy with super strength?"

"Taking down stronger guys is part of the gig." Dick told him. "Canary learned that the hard way. Same with Batman and, well, me."

"Do I not get a look in here?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, you _did_ take down a Kryptonian. Something tells me you haven't _had_ to learn the hard way."

"Ha bloody ha."

Superboy revved his bike and sped off in front.

"D'you think we pissed him off?" I asked Dick as I watched Superboys taillight swerve.

"Naw." Dick assured me. "I didn't anyway. He's probably pissed at you."

"Why?"

"Duh! You took him out in front of the whole Team and Canary. His pride is wounded."

"Are you saying if you had taken him down it would be less wounding?"

"Of course." Dick said, as if it were obvious. "You're tiny. No one wants to get beaten up by a hobbit."

"Short jokes?" I asked, eyeing him coldly. The coldness was somewhat lost since he couldn't see my eyes, but whatever. "Really? You're an inch taller than me!"

"And don't you forget it."

* * *

Whoever decided monkeys were cute had never met these ones.

"Robot monkeys!" Dick laughed. "Totally Ivo's tweak style."

He switched his bike to battle mode, the back half detaching and flying above his head. He told us to do follow his lead, but Superboy refused. I contemplated doing the same, but chose instead to just start hurling fireballs at the truck. I caught two robots head on, but they were replaced within seconds.

Which _sucked_.

Superboy jumped from his bike, landing on the roof of the trunk. His bike spun out and crashed, almost taking Dick out too. I swerved out of the way before I was hit by a tire, ditched my helmet and leapt too, pushing against the air to propel myself to the truck. With the three of us now safely positioned on the roof (well, Robin was sort of hanging off the side)the creepy robo-monkeys proceeded to attack us. Setting the robots on fire really didn't do enough, so I decided to opt for Superboys tactic instead.

Smashy smashy.

I kicked and punched and pushed and threw, but, in retrospect, it didn't amount to much. The monkeys, though pretty weak on their own, swarmed and overpowered and were generally just annoying. Currently three were fighting for purchase on my back. One was being a real asshole and hanging onto my hair.

I jumped into the air and slammed down onto my back, crushing the robots. Four more filled their places before I was on my feet.

Superboy was fighting the monkeys by my side. Robin was hanging onto the back door, trying to stop them from gaining access to the Amazo pieces. I grabbed a monkey by its tail and swung, catching another midair, sending them both crashing to the ground. I pushed at the air and sent three more sprawling. But just as I was getting back into the swing of things, something big and heavy slammed into me, pushing me off of the truck.

Superboy.

I cried out, flailing wildly. My hand thudded against the edge and my fingers gripped it, the rest of her body thudding painfully into the side of the truck. I almost fell, but I threw my right hand up to join my left and held on.

"HAVOK!"

_Oh yeah, Dick can't see me._

"What?" I called back, hoisting myself up little by little until I could get my arm up. "I'm busy!"

He didn't reply. Another monkey bot was thronw onto the ground and his gloved hands appeared over the edge of the vehicles roof. These hands were followed by a forearm, followed by an elbow, followed by a dainty little summersault. Dick dashed over to me and grabbed my hand, pulling me up. He stood there for a moment, hands on my shoulders.

"I thought you were dead." he told me.

"Why would you think I was-"

And then he hugged me.

Like, _actually_ hugged me.

Surrounded by little evil monkey bots, and he _hugs_ me.

We'd never actually hugged before.

So, yeah. It was fairly awkward.

I didn't know what to do, so I just sort of stood there and received the weird little embrace. Not that I didn't like being hugged, but my brain was still fuddled from almost falling off of a moving vehicle.

His hug didn't last long. When he pulled back, he looked confused. Like he had no idea what had just happened. Even the tint to his visor couldn't mask who much he was blushing.

"Well, that was…" I trailed off, not sure what to say.

"Yeah." Dick agreed, pulling off his helmet. "It was."  
And then a monkey bot latched onto his head.

Moment ruined.

He flung the bot off, throwing it into the cornfield we were passing. Once that bot was destroyed the rest advanced. I wretched off my gloves and clicked my fingers.

_Come on, you didn't _really_ think I was gonna stick with the smashy smashy routine, did you?_

Beside me Dick pulled out two black sticks, each about a foot long, and twirled them skilfully.

I blinked at him. "The fuck are those things?"

"Eskrima sticks." he answered, twirling them again.

"They look like police batons." I hurled a fireball at a nearby monkey bot and drove a roundhouse kick into another.

"Yeah, well, they're not." Dick used his little sticky thingies to beat the monkeys. Which proved to be effective. Still didn't change the fact that they looked stupid.

More bots advanced on us, forcing us back to the front of the truck.

"Are we screwed?" Dick asked.

"Maybe a little bit." I answered.

And then came the Superboy!

He crushed two monkeys when he landed, the force pushing five more from the roof. He started punching wildly around him, landing only a few.

Which is right about when I realised his eyes were closed.

_Why the fuck were his eyes closed?!_

Another bot latched onto my arm and I shook it off, barely noticing it. I was still enthralled by Superboy.

Which is why, when the monkeys blew the tires and I truck swerved, I flew forward and somehow ended up kicking him in the shin in my fight for traction on the steel roof. Superboy-who still hadn't opened his eyes-mistook me for a monkey and almost knocked all my teeth out with his uppercut. I only barely had time to scream 'it's me you twat!' before he concaved my skull. I pushed myself to my feet as the truck started to buck and spin more violently. I stumbled a little, almost fell.

Dick ran over and grabbed my hand, jumping off of the overturning truck and taking me with him.

It would have been sweet, him helping me off.

Except he didn't _break_ my fall like in all the movies.

_No_.

He _landed_ on me.

I dunno if it was intentional, but still.

Chivalry is dead.

After rolling a few times we came to a stop amongst the corn stems, my left leg crushed under his ass.

I pulled myself out from under him and batted away the corn stalks until I reached the road. The truck had-at some point-exploded, so a huge plume of smoke clouded moist of the sky. Though not enough to hide the tiny blob. The tiny blob that so happened to be a group of monkeys flying away with our cargo.

There was a loud crash and I spun around to see the truck tip over onto its side. I raised my arms, ready to fight, but lowered them once the smoke cleared and I realised it was Superboy.

He _still_ had his eyes closed.

He pried them open after a second, blinking furiously. First his gaze rested on me, then above my head in the direction the monkey bots were flying off in. He leapt into the air, sailed clear over our heads and landed in the corn, where he jumped again…

And again…

And then, there was no more Superboy.

"That wanker." I growled, scowling after him. Before I had the opportunity to ask Dick what we had to do next, the com link in my ear beeped.

'_Aqualad to Robin and Havok. We lost our cargo. Did you-'_

"It's gone." Dick sighed. "And so is our partner."

'_Aqualad to Superboy. Radio your position. We'll help you.'_

_'I don't need help!' _Superboy hollered, making me wince. '_Don't want any!'_

'_Superboy?_' Aqualad asked, but I knew he was gone.

"I think he ditched his com." Robin informed us lightly. I reached over casually and flicked his ear. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Just 'cause." I replied, throwing him my most dazzling smile.

_'So, we've lost all the cargo, plus Superboy, plus the League's gonna kill us, _plus_ I'm way too pretty to die!' _Wally cried from the other end of the com link. '_That's just fantastic!'_

_'He's out of my telepathic range.' _M'gann informed us. '_This Professor Ivo, if he is alive, seems to be two steps ahead of us. M-maybe w-we should contact Red Tornado?'_

_'Tornado always tells us to handle things ourselves.' _Kaldur reminded her. '_And the mission can still succeed if we recover the parts before they are reassembled.'_

'_Oh, well that's a great plan_!' Kid said sarcastically. '_Except for us not knowing _where to look_!'_

"Maybe we do." Dick knelt down beside one of the broken monkey bots and pulled a USB cable from his glove. He plugged it into the monkey's side and got to work. "We'd have heard by now if the decoy trucks had been attacked. So how did these monkeys know exactly which trucks to target?"

His holo computer flashed up and he laughed. I peered over his shoulder, skimmed through the content on the screen and laughed too.

"The parts have GPS!" he exclaimed, for the others benefit really. "The monkeys can track the signal, which means I can track them with the one I captured."  
"Okay, couple things." I interjected while he fiddled with the screen. "A, you didn't capture it. It's dead. And B, I'm almost sure I'm the one whole killed it, so-" My voice was cut off by his hand covering my mouth.

"Looks like both sets of parts are converging at GothamCity." Dick reported while I wrestled against his hold. He pulled his hand away from my mouth, pushed me over, then sat on my back.

_Sat on me._

The little fucker sat on me!

Aqualad agreed to meet us at Gotham, sent Kid on to find us, and logged out.

All the while, I was being sat on.

"This is definitely a disaster," Dick reported, resting his chin on his palm. "_Heavy_ on the 'dis'."

"You have a boney arse."

**I really liked how this chapter turned out!**

**So, 42 reviews guys! Can I please, please, PLEASE have 50? As previously mentioned, I'm going back to school. And I'm in all honours classes, so my workload is pretty massive. What I'm trying to say is I won't have that much free time to write. But, if you guys keep giving me the reviewer-warm-fuzzies, I might just shove my maths book under the couch and keep writing anyway. Hey, I'm ****_writing_****. That counts towards my English homework! Right? **

**Anywhoosies, please review, gimme your thoughts on the chapter and/or story so far. I'd love to hear what you guys think.**

**TTFN!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: OH MY GOD, I'M SO SORRY! I didn't mean to take a full week, but school was hectic and I had so much catching up to do and then I got food poisoning and just…please forgive me *sniffle***

**Now that that's out of the way, I wanna thank everyone who read/favourited/followed since last time. Also a great big thank you to piggythelaw, EvilCheescake437, fandomenforcer, RtheAwesome, Guest 2.0, KrystalArtGirl, FunkEater and lostgamer64 for reviewing.**

**I hit 50!**

**And 2000+ views!**

**What am I doing right? Seriously, I didn't think anyone would like this…**

**Disclaimer: Young Justice belongs to DC comics and…someone else? Greg Weisman, maybe? Yeah, probably him.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Schooled**

**GOTHAM CITY  
AUGUST 3  
21:09 EDT **

"You changed too?"

Wally had run up between my bike and Robins, dressed in his yellow and red leotard. Robin and I had already changed into our respective outfits. For the record, trying to fight your way into skin-tight leggings in the middle of a cornfield isn't the easiest task in the world.

I almost slipped into a pile of rat shit…

"You kidding?" Wally asked, giving a fake shudder. "I feel naked in civvies. You still trackin' the parts?"

"They _were_ heading _through_Gotham, but they veered." Robin told him. I swerved my bike closer to his so I could see the screen he was studying. "Wait. Dude! That's my school!"

"That's your what now?" I asked.

"GothamAcademy. The monkeys are taking Amazo to GothamAcademy."

"Why?" I snickered. "They gonna try and steal your mathletetic achievement award?"

"You know, I seriously regret telling you about that." Robin grumbled. "How'd you like it if I made fun of your…your…"

I quirked an eyebrow. "Made fun of my what? My football trophies? All my gymnastics prizes? My formal letter of expulsion from my old prep school?"

"Wait." Kid interrupted. "You got expelled? Why?"

"I drove a forklift into the religious studies classroom." I replied happily. "The teachers seemed to think I was trying to make a point. Really, I just didn't know how to drive a forklift."

"And _why_ were you driving a forklift, exactly?" Robin asked, grinning broadly behind his helmet.

I just shrugged. "Someone left the keys in the ignition."

**GOTHAM ACADEMY  
AUGUST 3  
21:23 EDT**

"This place is massive!"

"Shh!" Robin hissed as we made our way through the west corridors.

"Seriously, this place is like Hogwarts!"

"Will you _shut up_!"

"Fine!" I snapped back, peeping around a corner. Nothing suspicious. I turned to report my findings to the boys, but I never got the chance. Because at that exact moment Superboy was thrown down the corridor, smashing into a block of lockers. He fell to the floor in a heap, struggling to regain his balance and stand. Robin, Kid Flash and I darted around the corner.

We were greeted by an orange guy with little glowy eyes.

"Or, y'know, not fine." I murmured as Amazo drew nearer. "Not fine at all."

"No shit!" Robin bit out as he hurtled towards Amazo, throwing two birdarangs that did absolutely nothing. He jumped, aiming a kick towards the androids head, but Amazo caught onto his leg and threw him across the corridor. Superboy attacked next, meeting a similar fate (and creating a rather large hole in the science laboratory. Amazo followed him through.

I ran over to Robin, who had landed among the shattered glass of the trophy case. I pulled him to his feet while he picked slivers out of his forearms. His uniform had saved him from the worst of the damage.

"You okay?" Kid asked, skidding to a stop beside us.

"Yeah." Robin groaned, swiping his bloody gloves on his cape. "Just scratches. Where's the android?"

Boom!

"Sounds like the gym." Kid said before speeding away.

"How could he know that?" I asked Robin as we made our way through the halls, him leading the way.

"He could see through the hole in the lab walls." He replied curtly.

Then I felt kind of stupid.

When we actually got to the gym, the feeling was overshadowed.

We crashed through the emergency exit doors by the bleachers. Superboy was on his knees in the middle of the court, Amazo standing over him.

_'Access: Captain Atom.' _The androids hand glowed white, aimed straight at Superboys head. I was about to intervene, do something-anything, really-to stop Superboys brains from being cooked. But a flash of yellow and red beat me to it.

Kid deposited Supes over by us, Robin's birdarangs doing nothing-_again_-since Amazo did his 'access someone-someone' thingie and pulled out the Manhunter ghosting trick.

'_Access: Red Tornado.'_

He bombarded towards us, throwing us all off our feet. I managed to get my hands under me before I smacked my face off the ground, flipping to my feet.

'_Access: Black Canary'_

The cry was aimed in my direction. I stumbled back, hands clamped over my ears, and fell over something on the floor.

Wally.

"What do we do?" I huffed out as I dragged myself to my feet.

"Dunno." Kid answered. "But we've gotta come up with something. Where're the others?"

"Can't be far now. We should-"

The floor beside our heads exploded and I was flung into Kid Flash. He caught me, sweeping his arms under my knees and bolted. I glanced over his shoulder to see Amazo spin to attack Robin instead.

"Thanks." I murmured once he'd set me down.

"Don't mention it. Now come on!" Kid ran at Amazo, who…gave him a bear hug?

'_Access: Superman.'_

Shit.

Wally screamed, the crunching of small bones practically audible to my own ears. But before I could do anything, an arrow shot through Amazo, causing his to phase and Kid dropped to the ground. I snapped my palms against the air, sending a ripple that barely made Amazo stumble. Superboy ran up from behind, seeing an opportunity but the android caught onto his arm and sent his sailing.

Robin threw a birdarang at the same moment I hurled a fireball, and both attacks bounced off. Amazo sent a blast of heatvision towards Robin, who was shoved out of the way by Kid Flash. The android turned on me after that.

'_Access: Captain Atom.'_

I leapt out of the way, pieces of the floor filling the air around me. The android shot at me again, this time blowing up the bleachers right next to my head.

_'Black Canary.'_

The scream knocked me off my feet, my head spinning. Mask or no, the world around me blurred.

I think I might have passed out for a second.

"_Yawn_."

I forced my eyes open, snapping my head around like a mirkat. That's when I spied the old man on the bleachers. Dressed in a suit-complete with dorky bow tie-he looked like he'd be more at home in a retirement village.

"Normally Amazo would study and mimic your abilities during battle, but what's the point? You're all such poor copies of the originals."

"So everyone keeps saying." Superboy growled. "It makes me angry!"

He vaulted across the gym, landing where the old dude had been just moments before. Said old guy had fallen out of Superboys way, his monkeys flying into the air. "Wanna see me channel that anger!?"

"Amazo!" the old man called in a quaking voice. "Protect your master! Priority alpha!"

_So he was the master, was he?_

Superboy dove again, the old man moving out of the way with rather impressive speed.

_'Captain Atom.'_

Totally forgot about the android…

The beam hit Superboy full on, knocking him back. Two monkey bots were trying to fly away with the old guy when Robin kicked him out of their grasp.

"Anyone wanna play Keep Away?" he called.

"Me! Me!" Kid dashed past Amazo, who stomped down, the ripple effect knocking Kid clean off his feet.

Which, y'know, got me thinking.

I hunkered down on the ground, pressing my palms flat against the wooden floor.

"Guys!" I screamed as the room began to shake. "Now or never!"

The ground began to rise and fall, dipping in places and bubbling up in the next. Floorboards snapped, splinters filing the air.

Yes, I was ruining the finish.

No, I did not care.

Amazo bucked back and forth, fighting for balance. He managed to phase before Robin's birdarang sailed towards him, but couldn't concentrate long enough to keep it up when he needed to. Superboy leapt forward, driving his fist into the androids head. Said head solidified around the appendage. With a cloud of smoke and a really big bang, the androids head exploded, the body falling straight back, landing with a clatter. I wretched my hands from the floor, balling them into fists while the tremors stopped.

"Help me disassemble him!" Robin shouted, dashing around piles of debris to the headless robot.

"Dude, the guy has no head." Kid reminded him.

"And last time I checked, heads are pretty important." I added.

"Don't take any chances!"

I turned to see Ms Martian and Aqualad enter through the fire doors. M'gann ran straight to Superboy.

Who's surprised?  
No one? Good.

"Are you alright?" M'gann asked, clutching his arm.

"Fine." He smiled. "Feeling the aster."

"Whee's Ivo?" Kid asked.

"Who?"

"The old dude."

"Ah!" I sighed, nodding. "It appears he isn't here anymore. Which, y'know, isn't great."

"You think?" Kid deadpanned. I stuck out my tongue.

"What happened here?" Aqualad asked, looking around the gym. The floor still bulged in places, had been completely destroyed in others. The bleachers were pretty much in tatters and one of the basketball hoops was only hanging on by a single strand of cable.

"Yeah, I may have gone to town a little bit" I murmured, throwing him a sheepish look. "Sorry."

"What are you sorry about?" Robin giggled. "This place is trashed! No way can they send us back to school next month!"

**MOUNT JUSTICE  
AUGUST 4  
01:06 EDT**

"The Amazo android is in pieces again." Aqualad reported. The team, along with Canary, Batman, Red Tornado and Green Arrow, was all gathered around the holo computer while Kaldur rattled off the mission statistics. Realistically, I was more pressed with keeping my eyes open then listening to stuff I already knew.

"Capturing the professor will be a League priority." Canary said.

"What professor?" I asked.

"Uh, Ivo." Robin told me, grinning. "Is someone sleepy?"  
"Shudup birdboy." I mumbled, yawning.

"Yes, well, we understand your mission encountered other complications." Manhunter said, arms folded.

"I already said I'd pay for the damages!"

"No, not you Havok." Manhunter added, staring pointedly at Superboy.

As was everyone else.

"Complications come with the job." Batman said, stepping forward. "Your ability has impressed the League."

"The _whole_ League?" Superboy asked.

"Given time, yes. Kryptonians, as you know, have very hard heads. Of course there's no shame is asking for help." He continued. "That's why the League exists. Because there's some problems even we can't face individually."  
"Please." Robin scoffed. "If we needed help we'd never get the chance to ask." He pulled an arrow from inside his cape. The same arrow that had stopped Amazo from crushing Wally.

The arrow was green.

"Look familiar?" Robin asked incredulously, handing the arrow to Batman. "You were following us! Babysitting! You still don't trust us!"

"We didn't follow you." Batman assured. Before any of us could protest, GA pulled an arrow from his quiver. The arrow we had found in the gym had a smooth head. His was serrated.

"That's not your arrow." Robin pointed out.

Because it really needed to be pointed out.

Note the sarcasm.

"So who's is it?" I asked. Apparently I was the only one who hadn't caught up.

"Speedy!" Kid and Robin cried in unison, making me start.

"He has our backs." Aqualad added happily.

"Yeah." I murmured. "Great."

"C'mon Havok!" Robin laughed, throwing an arm over my shoulders. "You really can't hate Speedy that much, can you?"

"I can and I do." I replied simply.

"But he saved us!" Kid protested.

"Actually, he saved you."

"What happened between the two of you?" Kaldur asked, to which I just shrugged.

"A story for another day."

**Oh my God, I ****_hated_**** that! Seriously, what you just read was probably around my forth attempt at this chapter. I just couldn't get it right. And I'm sorry it's so short. But anyways, now that I got it out of the way the GOOD stuff can begin!**

**Namely Artemis.**

**I can just tell she and Havok are gonna get on great.**

**Anywhoosies, reviews are appreciated. Thank you in advance if you do. Thank you for reading none the less. Hope you enjoyed and I'll try and post the next chapter waaaaay sooner.**

**TTFN!**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Sup, niños? Thanks to EvilCheescake437, piggythelaw, shadow m wayne , KrystalArtGirl, RtheAwesome, Jinxglow17690, Bookworm and lostgamer64 for reviewing and thanks to everybody who read/favourited/followed since last time!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice because…reasons.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 10: ~Lets go to the Beach (_each, lets go get away_)~**

**WAYNE MANOR  
****AUGUST 8  
****07:54 EDT****  
**

_I couldn't see his face._

_Okay, that's a lie._

_I could see the place where his face should be, but it had no features. All I saw was a simple, round, skin-coloured egg mounted on a scrawny neck and thin shoulders. I called him 'The Faceless One' partly because it was accurate but largely because it sounded dramatic. He was always lurking on the edges of my dreams, both good and bad, watching me from a distance whether I was laughing or crying, happy or sad. He never intervened in the nightmares, nor did he disturb the happy memories. He was always simply…watching. Watching without eyes._

_But this time was different. He'd found me in the middle of the forest, battered and bruised, running from an enemy I couldn't see. I expected him to stay put, just under the tree line, but he came over to me, unnaturally graceful amid the rough terrain. He reached out to me with a gloved hand, beckoning me with a twitch of his finger. I placed my hand in his, which was cold as ice, and used his hold to pull myself up. I wanted to ask who he was, but I couldn't speak. Something prevented me. But I knew, just knew, that he had something to say. He had no mouth with which to say it, but I heard his voice all the same. What was weird is that it was a voice I knew._

BROOKLYN!

Something landed on me, knocking all the air from my lungs. I sat bolt upright in bed, coughing, eyes snapping open so fast it sort of hurt. Once I had realised I wasn't under attack, I reached over to the nightstand and fished for my glasses. Just as I slid them onto the bridge of my nose, my curtains flew open, enveloping the room in a disgustingly bright light.

"Rise and shine!" Dick cried, his outline just visible to my poor eyes.

"What time is it?" I mumbled, scratching my head.

"Almost eight."

"What!" I shrieked, dashing beneath the covers again. "It's the middle of the night!"

"Nuh-uh." I heard him say. His weight caused my mattress to sag and he ripped my duvet back. I clawed out but he hauled the sheet off my bed and threw it into the corner. "We're going to the beach. It's a beautiful day, and your pasty complexion needs fixing."

"Did you really just say beautiful?"

"Guys can say beautiful."

"Yeah, but they really-_what are you doing_?"

Dick was, in fact, riffling through my wardrobe. He pulled out two bikini tops (I still don't know how he knew where they were) and held them up for inspection. He nodded at the one in his left hand, threw it at my head, and tossed the other into the closet again.

"I'm helping you get dressed." He informed me, unearthing a pair of denim shorts I'd forgotten I owned. "Are these clean?"

"I dunno. Maybe?"

He made his way over to me, placed the shorts in my hand and stood with his hands on his hips, looking pleased with himself. "Can you do the rest on your own or would you like me to choose your undies as well?"

Lacking a projectile to launch at his head, I simply ordered him to go bug someone else. Once he'd left I trudged to the bathroom-us Wayne wards have the luxury of private showers-and swapped my PJ's for the clothes Dick had selected.

The fact that they matched was a little unsettling.

After throwing on a tank top I made my way down the hall, down the stairs and into the kitchen. Bruce was sitting at the head of the table drinking coffee, Dick was shovelling Cheerios into his mouth to his left, and the littlest Wayne was snoring slightly into his bowl. As I walked behind his chair I reached out and pulled the little hairs at the back of his neck. He made a gurgling sound, but didn't awaken.

"Is he dying?" I asked as I sank into the chair beside Dick. No sooner had my butt hit the seat than Alfred placed my breakfast in front of me. I smiled, thanking him, quickly proceeding to wolf down the little hoops before they went soggy.

"I don't think so." Dick answered, gesturing with his spoon. "My guess is that he's already dead."

To test I picked up a Cheerio and flicked it at his head. When this bore no response I slammed my fist on the table. He jerked upright, giving a little shriek. Dry cereal clung to his cheek as he surveyed the room with wild eyes.

"Wazappenin'?" he grumbled, rubbing his face.

"Good morning to you too sunshine." I smirked behind my orange juice.

Jason scowled at me with bleary eyes. "Fuck off."

"Language, Jason." Bruce warned, though with no real warning in his voice. It was more a formality than a threat.

"She started it." Jay grumbled, yawning.

"Brooklyn, stop torturing him." Bruce added with the same palatable disinterest.

"Not torturing him." I defended, stabbing at my cereal. "Just making sure he was still breathing."

**MOUNT JUSTICE  
****AUGUST 4  
****09:49 EDT****  
**

_Recognise: Robin, B-Zero-One. Havok, B-Zero-Four._

"This is excruciating."

Dick gave me a stern look from behind his sunglasses.

"We haven't even gone outside yet." he pointed out, pulling an inflatable beach ball from his backpack. He undid the mouth piece and looked as if we was about to blow into it, then paused and handed it to me. I placed my hand over the hole and sucked the air around us into the ball, which I handed back to Dick.

"I don't need to go outside to know it's gonna suck."

"What's up with you?" Superboy asked. He was in the process of being coated in sun cream by M'gann, and to say he looked uncomfortable was the understatement of the century.

"She woke up early and now she's pissed." Dick informed them, smirking at me. "Now come on!"

He jogged over to the back door that led to the beach, Kaldur and Superboy in his wake. Dick was carrying both of our backpacks while the other two boys hoisted the barbeque out between then. I was trying to juggle two surfboards and a volleyball.

M'gann was contributing by transporting _herself_ to the beach.

The _telekinetic_.

Can you say inconsiderate?  
Once I finally managed to hobble out onto the beach, the warm sand immediately filling my sneakers to the brim, I dropped the surfboards and chucked the ball full force at the back of Dick's head. It bounced off, sailed through the air and landed amongst the hotdogs and burger buns Kaldur was organising. He gave me a stern look, to which I grinned.

"Hello Megan!" M'gann sang, picking up her boogie board. "We should hit the beach every day!"

"But first!" Dick interrupted. "A moment of silence for our…absent comrade."

"You will live on in our hearts, Wally West." I sighed, adding a fake sob at the end.

No, he isn't dead. He was at school.

Soooooo much worse!

"Race ya!" Dick shouted, making a break for the water line. I shot forward and tried to trip him (because I'm that mature) but instead settled for pushing at the air, sending myself skyward. I giggled as my hair whipped around me, loving the heavy _thrump_ of the wind in my ears. As I started to lose altitude I spun, landing three twists before I hit the water. The impact knocked the air from my lungs but I still resurfaced laughing, though it sounded more like a dying seal since I didn't have any oxygen with which to laugh.

"No fair!" Robin called, some thirty feet away. "I thought we said no powers!"

* * *

"High diving champion Brooklyn Stark positions herself on the platform. With a wide gap between the USA and Great Britian Stark's final dive needs to be flawless. The crowd waits with bated breath as the young starlet prepares to jump. Nothing stands between her and that gold medal. Can Stark take home the gold at the London twenty-twelve Olympic G-"

"Will you just JUMP already!" Dick demanded. I scowled over the cliff face down into the water where the team was gathered, waiting.

"Shut up!" I screamed back. "I'm monologue-ing!"

"Can you not monologue from down here?"

I sighed and spun away from the ledge. After taking three steps back I turned again. The only knowledge I had of high diving I had acquired while watching Tom Daley compete in Beijing. But really, how hard could it be?  
I ran to the edge and jumped, doing two summersaults and a weird twisty thing before landing straight in the water. I gasped as I broke the surface, pushing my sopping wet hair off my forehead. I glance around expectantly at my team for their results.

"Perfect score!" M'gann giggled.

"Your legs weren't straight." Dick informed me as he doggy-paddled past. I lunged, shoving his head below the water. He latched onto my legs and kicked out, dragging me down with him. I struggled weakly against his grip, focusing too hard on not laughing to break free. He dug his fingers into my sides and wiggled, making me cry out and swallow half of HappyHarbour. He let me go and I flew to the surface, coughing madly. The top of Dick's head popped up beside me, eyes gleaming behind his dark goggles.

"Now we're even." He declared, smiling.

"I'm gonna kill you in your sleep." I answered menacingly, but the fact that I was grinning probably diminished my threat.

* * *

I sat precariously on top of a rock while the team beat the volleyball back and forth. I was meant to be keeping score, but I didn't know how the game worked, so I kinda sucked at my job.

"I'm bored!" I called out when Superboy failed to return the ball. "Can we go surfing instead?"

"I believe surfing requires waves." Kaldur told me, gesturing to the calm sea. "Something we do not have."

I scoffed and jumped down from the rock. I skipped over to the water and knelt in the warm, wet sand. I placed my hands just below the surface and looked out at the water, concentrating intently.

"Watcha doin'?" Dick asked, appearing at my side.

"Sush!" I whisper-hissed, trying not to blink. I focused on the ebb and flow of the tide, willing it to strengthen. It wasn't long before huge waves lapped at the sand, perfect funnels appearing just off the shore.

"I can't keep it up for long." I told the others, hauling my surfboard under my arm, the gold dragon decals glittering in the light. "So are you coming or what?" Dick grabbed his board and dragged it to the water, followed closely by Kaldur and M'gann. I glanced over my shoulder. Superboy was still rooted to the beach. "What's wrong Superboy? We brought you a board." I gestured to the corner where said board was propped against the Cliffside.

Superboy fidgeted, averting his gaze.

"I don't…" he grunted, obviously frustrated. "I don't know _how_."

I started. For some reason I had it in my head that he knew how to do everything. Apparently those genomorphs left a gap in his education. I dropped my board and stepped forward.

"It's okay." I said softly, looking up into his eyes. "I'll teach you."

"Really?" he asked gruffly. I nodded and took his hand, leading him away from the water.

"Uh, aren't the waves that way?" he asked, glancing back towards the others.

"You're not allowed in the water. "I told him simply, leaning down to flip my board. "I have to teach you how to _stand_ first."

* * *

After roughly an hour of showing Superboy how to manoeuvre himself _out_ of the water, we were ready to try his luck _in_ it. I dragged my board out until the water was up to my chest, then instructed him to get on. He managed to swing himself upright, one hand clamped on either side of the foam as it bucked on the waves. I hopped up behind him and helped paddle out a few dozen feet from the shore. Once he managed to stand up fully without falling, I dipped both hands into the water and caused the waves to grow.

"You ready?" I asked as a huge wave rushed towards us, the top already beginning to curl. Superboy grunted as I sprang to my feet. "Come on Supes! Stand!"

"Can't." he bit out, knuckles turning white as his grip on the board tightened. I nodded, and tried my best to manoeuvre through the water. His extra weight was unsettling, but what with my water manipulatey powers I was able to keep us both dry. Superboy groaned as I jerked quickly to the side, catching another wave. When the water had calmed slightly I crouched, slid my hands under his arms and pulled him upright, despite his protests.

"You got this bud." I promised, eyeing another wave that tore through the water towards us.

And then I dove off.

"Brooklyn!" Superboy shouted, eyes wide.

"You're fine!" I called over. "Just relax and remember what we practiced!"

"I forget what we pract-" Whatever else he might have said was swallowed by the wave. He disappeared into the funnel. I ducked under the water to stop the force of the water from hitting me full on. When I resurfaced, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Superboy?" I called, doing a three-sixty. That's when I spotted my board, a quick glint of black and gold. "Superboy!"

Something caught onto my leg beneath the water and I screamed, flailing wildly. Superboy broke the water beside my, gasping, holding his arm in the spot I'd kneed him. What was really weird is that he was _grinning_.

"Don't do that!" I cried, splashing water at him. "You scared the crap out of me!"

"Sorry." He chuckled, pinching water from his nose.

"Why are you smiling like that?" I asked.

"Because it was fun." he declared. "Can we do it again?"

* * *

Later that evening, after a few more failed attempts at teaching Supes to surf (really not his forte), M'gann and I sat along the shoreline watching the sun set.

"I love Earth." M'gann breathed, the dying light illuminating her red hair, casting her features in an almost golden glow. "We don't have anything this beautiful on Mars."

"That's awful." I murmured, voice muffled by the My Little Pony towel I had wrapped around my shoulders. "What do your sunsets look like?"

"I don't know." she told me. "I really can't remember."

"What was it like for you?" I asked, glancing over at her. "Life on Mars?"

"It was…" she hesitated, something burning behind her eyes. M'gann had a secret. A secret she didn't want to tell. "It was fine, I guess. Nothing special. Just an average Martian upbringing." She said all this far too fast to be convincing, but I let it drop.

Secrets were secrets. I wasn't offended that she didn't want to share.

"Guys!" Dick ran over, towelling off his hair. "Batman wants us inside and changed in ten."

I nodded and hopped to my feet, running my fingers through my hair and extracting the water droplets, leaving it bone dry.

"Lucky." M'gann grumbled good-naturedly, flicking a few strands of her sopping hair over her shoulder. I held up my hand and clenched my fist. The space around M'gann's head filled with little teardrops of water, which I flicked away onto the sand. She reached up to touch her hair. "Wow."

"I know." I smiled. "Handy, right?"

* * *

Gathered in the Mission Room, dressed for success (and/or superhero-ey stuff) we waited for Batman. He hadn't given us any specifics, just that we were to be on our best behaviour. Then he had disappeared through the Zeta-tube.

"What d'you suppose he's doing?" I asked Aqualad, who was standing with him arms folded at my side.

"I do not know." he said simply. "But it is my guess that we'll find out soon enough."

_Recognise: Batman, Zero-Two. Green Arrow, Zero-Eight._

"Really soon." I murmured as Batman and GA appeared. Ollie walked over to us and said hi, but Batman headed straight to the computer system set up beside the Zeta-tube. After typing in a few codes the yellow light shone again.

_Recognise: Artemis, B-Zero-Eight._

A girl, probably a year or two older than me, with an enormous quantity of blonde hair and a bow stepped out of the Zeta-tube. She was dressed in green, an outfit not too dissimilar to Green Arrow's

"Who's she?" Superboy asked bluntly.

"Supey." I scolded from his elbow. "Be nice."

"Team, this is Artemis." Green Arrow told us, stepping forward. "She's my new protégée. Artemis, this is the Team. Robin, Aqualad, Ms Martian, Havok and Superboy."

"Hi." said the new girl. She marched over to us, shoulder squared, and stopped beside Green Arrow. She looked-to me-like someone with something to prove.

"Hiya." I smiled back. "Are you joining the team?"

"Yep." She popped her lips on the 'P' and smiled back. Before any further discussion could arise, the Zeta-tube flared up again.

_Recognise: Kid Flash, B-Zero-Three._

Wally appeared in pair of yellow and red shorts, dripping with beach gear and a stereo spouting annoyingly happy pop music.

"The Wal-Man is here!" he declared. "Now let's get this party star-" Insert hilarious display of flailing limbs here. "-ted."

We all gazed down at our fallen comrade as he collected himself and rose to his feet. I barely suppressed a snicker.

"Wal-Man, huh?" Artemis asked. "I _love_ the uniform. What exactly are your powers?"

I snickered at that, earning an appreciative glance from the newbie and a wounded look from Kid.

"Who's this?" Wally asked, dusting off his knees.

"Artemis." Artemis introduced herself. "Your new teammate."

"Kid Flash" Wally replied. "Never heard of you."

I elbowed him in the gut.

"Don't be such a prick." I hissed.

"Um, she's my new protégée." GA elaborated.

"What happened to your old one?" Wally demanded.

_Recognise: Speedy, B-Zero-Seven._

"Speak of the devil." I groaned as Roy appeared before us.

"Well for starters he doesn't go by _Speedy_ anymore." Roy informed us with the same thin veil of anger that coated pretty much everything he said. "Call me Red Arrow."

"Well _that's_ original." I scoffed, scowling at the older boy, who scowled back.

"Roy." Green Arrow stepped up, eyeing his former sidekick's new outfit. It was an improvement from the retarded Peter Pan costume, but then anything would be an improvement to that. "You look-"

"Replaceable." Roy snapped.

"It's not like that." Ollie said. "You told me you were going solo."

"So why waste time finding a sub. Can she even use that bow?"

"Yes." Artemis bit back smugly. "_She_ can."

And that was the moment I fell in love with Artemis Crock.

Because any Roy-hater was a friend of mine.

"Who _are_ you?" Wally asked. Artemis and Ollie both spit out a variation of 'she's my niece' at the same time.

"Another niece?" Robin chuckled.

"But she is not your replacement." Kaldur assured Roy. "We have always wanted you on the team. And we have no quota on archers."

"And if we did you know who we'd pick." Kid added.

"Speak for yourself." I smiled thinly. "I quite like Artemis." I glanced over at the new girl, who smirked back.

"Please." Roy scoffed, rounding on me. "As if they care what you think."

Robin's hand clamped around my wrist before I could lunge and rip Roy's stupid head from his stupid shoulders. It didn't do much to shut my mouth though.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" I asked, squaring my jaw.

"I'm sorry. Was I being too subtle?"

"You don't shut up and I'll knock your fuckin'-"

Robin's hand over my mouth stopped me from finishing my threat.

"Stand down, Roy." Green Arrow warned, latching onto his former sidekicks elbow. I jerked my wrist roughly out of Robin's grasp, shooting daggers at Roy.

"You came to us for a _reason_." Aqualad interjected, though it didn't do anything to break the tension.

"Yeah." Roy agreed, still glaring at me. "A _reason_ named Dr. Serling Roquette.

"Nano-robotics genius and claytronics expert at RoyalUniversity in StarCity." Robin clarified, bringing up holo-computers all around us. I finally tore my eyes away from Roy's to skim the screens. "Vanished two weeks ago."

"Abducted two weeks ago." Roy corrected. "By the League of Shadows."

"Whoa!" Robin gasped. "You want us to rescue her from the Shadows?"

"Sweet!" Kid laughed, bumping fists with Robin.

"I already rescued her." Roy told us smartly, like the self-important asshole he is. "Only one problem."

He went on to explain this 'problem' in great detail, but I wasn't listening. I made it my solemn duty to block out every single word that came out of his stupid mouth.

If it was _really_ important, I'd get Dick to fill me in later.

Instead I started to devise ways to kill Roy. Nothing too fancy. A slit throat here. A concaved skull there.

Some may say I'm morbid…I guess some are right.

"Brooklyn?"

Superboy's voice snapped me out of my daydream. I glanced up at him, just as he stared down.

"You okay?" he asked. "I can hear you grinding your teeth."

"I'm _fine_." I snapped. "What are we doing?"

"Batman wants us to guard Dr. Rocket." he told me, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Roy wasn't very happy with you and Artemis coming along."

"Roquette." I corrected, smiling. "And I don't give a shit what Harper thinks. If my presence pisses him off, then I'm all for it."

"You know you two seriously need to go for couple's counselling or something." Wally told me, appearing at Superboy's elbow. "The two of you fighting is bad for moral."

I just smirked. "I'd _literally_ rather be dead. Now get changed." I pulled the towel from around his shoulders and hit him with it. "No one's gonna take you seriously with sunscreen on your nose."

**What did you guys think? This chapter felt very filler-ey to me. I dunno, you guys might think different. And I know I haven't explained why Brooke and Roy hate each other yet, but don't worry. I will…eventually. **

**So, lemme know what you think. Hope you enjoyed, don't forget to review, and thanks for reading!**

**TTFN**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: I didn't think I would write this chapter. Really didn't. I haven't gone to school in days. I haven't been eating or sleeping. I've barely been able to speak.**

**What is the cause?**

**GRAND THEFT AUTO FIIIIIVE!**

**It is singularly the greatest thing in the history of ever.**

**Anyone who disputes this fact will be killed on sight.**

**So, time for some comment commentary:**

**EvilCheescake437: **oh, don't worry. She will…*cue ominous music* mwahahaha!  
**piggythelaw**: I tried surfing once, fell off the board and bashed my head off of the knee of the guy I fancied, almost knocking myself unconscious…so that's something I wanted to share!  
**RtheAwesome: **aw, thanks! Supey needs some loving from time to time!  
** Bookworm: **I know. But alas, we must all soldier on.  
**LadyAmazon: **I try ;)  
**Anime hotty lover.18: **why thank you my dear…hehe, I sounded like a creepy old lady.  
**Guest: **THINGS! THINGS happened!

**Anyways, here's the chapter. Hope you like!**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Technologic**

**HAPPY HARBOUR  
AUGUST 8  
21:53 EDT **

"_I'm slim shady, yes I'm the real shady. All you other slim shadys are just imitating. So won't The Real Slim Shady please stand up? Please stand up, please stand-"_  
"Will you _please_ shut up?!" Kid hissed. I scowled, ripping my earbuds out.

"Well excuse me." I whispered back sarcastically. "I'm _so_ sorry to have disturbed you. I'm just bored, alright? We've been sittin' here for ages." Kid huffed, turning away again. he'd been exceptionally pissy ever since the 'Speedy Fiasco' back at the Cave. Well, namely pissed at Artemis, but we all received some of the backlash.

_"Coz I'm slim shady, yes I'm the real shady. All you oth-"_

"ROBIN!"

"What?" Rob snickered, grinning at Kid. "She got it stuck in my head."

'_Ms Martian_.' Kaldur's voice sounded suddenly, clear to my ears without him speaking. '_Link us up. We do not want the Shadows intercepting our comm.'_

_'Link established_.' M'gann reported, the familiar pulling sensation that came with telepathy fading as soon as it appeared. We had all grown used to our psyches linking, so it didn't bother us anymore.

Well, most of us.

'_Uhhggn.'_ Artemis groaned, examining her outstretched hand_. 'This is weird.'_

_'And distracting._' Roquette groaned. '_Coding a distributed algorithm virus on a kiddie computer with less RAM than a wrist watch is hard enough. Now I have to hear teen think in my skull!'_

_'Lady, do you always complain when someone tries to help you?'_ Kid asked. I couldn't help but agree. I'd met Dr. Roquette a few times before, whenever she was on loan at Stark Tech. She was a royal pain, and could've easily turned Mother Teresa into an axe murderer, but she was smart, and good at what she did.

Still didn't justify being so bitchy…

_'Pot, kettle_.' Artemis smirked over at Kid. '_You met?'_

_'Hey! I do not need attitude from the newbie who drove Red Arrow off the team.'_ Kid snapped, gesturing angrily with his protein bar.

'_That is so not on me!_' Artemis bit back.

_'Fate. Of the world. At stake!'_ Roquette shrieked.

_'She has a point guys_.' I chimed in. '_We've got bigger things to deal with. Yeah, maybe Artemis sent Red packin'. Who cares? He's a total anti-crack.'_

There was silence for a minute, while my statement was digested.

'_What_?' Superboy asked the question, but the stares I received all played it back.

'_A…y'know…and anti-crack. Kinda like an anti-Christ, but…not?'_

My point wasn't made very well.

_'Do I…know you_?' Roquette asked me_. 'Something about the accent, and the slang, just…I don't know. Have we met before_?'

My eyes, covered by my mask, all but fell out of my head.

_How_ could she recognise me? Superheroes _never_ got recognised. The mask had proved all-powerful up until that precise moment. Why the hell did she recognise me?!

'_Uh…no! Of course not!'_ I laughed, forcing my voice to take on a bubble-y tone that was very un-me. '_I'd remember if we had, trust me._' I whirled on Robin, a desperate look on my face. '_How's about I go help Ms Martian and Superboy outside?'_

_'Uh, sure_.' he answered, very obviously trying not to laugh. _'You do that.'_

_'I'll go with you.'_ Artemis announced, marching towards the door. _'Might get Kid Argumentative to cool his jets.'_

_'Good idea._' Aqualad agree, leaning back against the far wall, arms folded.

Artemis and I pushed open the double doors that led to the computer lab, hurrying down the hall.

"You _do_ sound kinda familiar though." Artemis said, out loud this time. "I can't remember from where. Who are you _really_?"

"I can't tell you _here_." I laughed. "What if someone heard?"

"Would people care?" she asked, pretty disbelieving.

I scoffed. "Trust me Arte-hey, can I call you Arty?"

"No."

"Mmkay. But trust me, people would care."

* * *

Outside Ms Martian, Artemis, Superboy and I had split up, the two girls guarding the main entrance while me and Supes patrolled the fence. I walked along the perimeter, very tempted to shove my headphones back in, when I head a rustling noise just beyond the fencing. I tiptoed over, peering through the chain links. Nothing of interest stared back, so I shrugged my shoulders and made my way back around to the gate. Superboy landed silently next to Artemis just as I rounded the corner. He stalked off, eyeing the fence with distant eyes.

We were all bored.

'_Mmm'_. Artemis sighed, gaze glued on Superboy. '_That boy_.'

Said boy whipped around, giving the blond girl a very clear 'WTF' look.

'_He can hear you_.' M'gann informed her, rather crossly. _'We can all hear you.'_

_'Oh, I know_.' Artemis smirked.

'_Ms Martian_.' Aqualad's voice penetrated the night around us, making Artemis shudder. '_Dr. Roquette has located the Fog. Reconfigure the Bio-Ship so that Robin and Superboy can pursue.'_

_'Uh, can I go too?_' I asked in a sickly sweet tone (that made my insides bleed). '_Not that I don't love it her, but…'_

_'Fine. The three of you are heading for Philadelphia. Keep in touch.'_

_'Roger that Cap'n.' _I called, running up beside Superboy and Robin, making our way into the Bio-Ship. Robin yelled out 'I'm driving', and we all took our respective seats. My stomach lurched as the aircraft rose into the air, but soon we were on our way.

The trip across country was painfully slow. The first half hour of which was spent in complete silence. In an attempt to break the crushing tension, I asked "What'd you get Jay for his birthday?"

Robin's eyes widened beneath his mask. "When is it?"

"Tomorrow."

"Shit!" he threw his head back in defeat. "I told you to remind me."

"And I told you to remind me to remind you." I deadpanned, picking at my chewed nails. Yes, I bite my nails. Don't judge me! "You know you can't trust me with that kind of thing."

"Dammit." Robin groaned. "I'm screwed. What did you get him?"

"New Nintendo. He broke his other one."

"Crap." He scratched the back of his head, wheels in his brain spinning out of control.

"Uh…who's Jay?" Superboy asked.

"Friend." Robin and I said in unison.

"You really suck at birthdays, don't you." I smiled, throwing my feet up on the dash.

"Do not." Robin retorted.

"Do so.

"Do not!"

"Oh yeah?" I asked, leaning back in my chair. "Then when's mine?"

"Easy. It's November eighth." He smirked, evidently pleased with himself.

"No it's not." Superboy chimed in, a small smile tugging up the corners of his mouth. "It's November sixteenth."  
Robin's brows furrowed. "Since when?"

"Since always." I laughed, throwing my arm over my eyes. "I can't believe you don't know my birthday. I thought we were besties!"

"Oh, bite me."

**PHILADELPHIA  
AUGUST 8  
23:46 EDT**

"Okay, so we're here." I reported, hanging onto the back of Superboy's chair for balance. My original hatred of the Bio-Ship had lessened to some extent, but I would've still preferred to fly coach. "Now what?"

"Now we find the Fog." Robin told me, fiddling with his wrist computer. "The most likely locations are Star Labs and Hammer Industries."

"Oh, I hope they hit Hammer." I giggled. "He deserves to have his shit stolen. Guy is a _prick_. And you know his kid, whatsisname, Jacob? He's obsessed with me."

"Uh, isn't he ten?" Robin asked. I nodded.

"Yep. This one time we were all at this Expo opening ball thingie, and he threw a tantrum until his father let him sit at our table. No joke!"

Robin directed the ship in a wide arc, swinging past the Hammer Industries building, which was totally fine (~_sigh_~). After a few seconds of heated debate, we decided to make our way to Star Labs. The boys wanted to hang around a little longer to make sure there was nothing suspicious. I was all for getting the hell out. If the Fog attacked Hammer while we were gone…would anyone really care (it _was_ Hammer, after all).

What we found upon reaching Star Labs put a dampener on my malice.

"Robin to Aqualad." Robin called out, activating the Bio-Ships comm. Link. "We're over Philadelphia. We've located the Shadows next target. But we're too late. It's destroyed. Totally destroyed. The Fog decimated it."

"What-what about the people working there?" I murmured, watching in horror at the top dozen floors of the Star Labs building collapsed on the rest in a huge cloud of dust. "D'you think they got out."  
"They wouldn't have known to evacuate." Superboy gaped, eyes wide. "There's no way they could've known."

"This is bad." Robin groaned. "Star Labs is cutting edge science and now their secrets are in the hands of the enemy."

"Not to mention the blood of everyone there." I threw myself into my seat, strapping in roughly. "I'll call 9-1-1. Maybe there's a chance the building was empty. Aqualad, what do we do now?"

'_Rescan for that Fog. Find it. We're moving the doctor_.'

* * *

"Next target's a Wayne Tech facility!" Robin exclaimed. I scrambled out of my seat to the front of the Bio-Ship. I could just make out a black van speeding along the roads beneath us. "In theory its systems software could be used to hack the-" He cut himself off abruptly.

"The what?" Superboy asked. robin glanced over at me. I knew what he meant. Batcomputer. The sole system on the planet that held detailed accounts on every member of the Justice League…and their weaknesses.

"Doesn't matter." Robin said quickly. "What matters is Wayne Tech operates a twenty four hour work force. We'll never evacuate the building in time!"

"What do we do?" I asked, unbuckling my seatbelt.

"We go in first. Stop the Fog before it can take effect." Robin told us. I nodded, made my way to the Bio-Ship's hatch. It slid down, cold air instantly whipping through the hull. Robin crouched down so he could mess with his computer without getting caught in the backdraft.

"It's downloading!" he called out over the noise of the wind. I crouched down beside him, scanning the screen over his shoulder. Fifty two percent and counting.

"Shouldn't take long." I yelled over to Superboy.

"Don't need it!" he yelled back.

Then he jumped.

"Superboy!" Robin jumped up, knocking me back. But of course, the Boy of Steel was off. I clamoured over to the hatch just in time to see the guy-Professor…something. _Mojo Jojo? Naw. That's Powerepuff Girls_-use his laser eye thingie to fling Superboy back.

"That's bad." I murmured to Robin. At that moment, Mojo Jojo released a puff of grey smoke from a machine.

The Fog.

"That's worse." Robin observed. He jumped out of the Bio-Ship, fired his grappling gun and swung off. I followed, landing lightly in the parking lot before running to the door, Robin leaping through the hole created by the Fog. I caught up with him easily, the two of us sprinting past the security desk.

The guard didn't much appreciate our company.

"Hey! You two can't be in here!" he picked up a walkie talkie and barked the security shutdown command. The titanium doors that blocked off every hallway started to drop.

"Wayne Tech override, RG4!" Robin yelled. The bars began to rise again. I snickered, skidding through the small gap before rising to my feet and taking off again.

"What now?" I asked, backpedalling a little as I missed the turnoff Robin took.

"We find the Fog, use the virus to shut it down, go home." Robin answered. "Simple, right?"

"Sure." I huffed, using a safety railing to swing myself down another corridor. "How big is this fucking-"

"AAAIIIE!"

Robin ground to a halt, so fast that I barrelled into him, knocking us both down.

"Sorry." I murmured as I scrambled to my feet. We took off again in the direction of the scream, surfacing in the cafeteria. I made my way past the register but Robin caught my elbow before I could go any further. He pulled a USB cable from his glove and hooked it into the till.

"What's going on?" asked the girl behind the counter. "What's he doing."

The he in question was chanting 'please be linked to the mainframe' under his breath.

"Wild guess? Hacking the mainframe."

I watched with curiously over Robins shoulder as he broke through wall after wall of Wayne Tech security. It was remarkably impressive. The download bar in the corner finally flashed green. I spun around and watched as the Fog above us turned from grey to red

"YES!" Robin cried, pulling me against his side. "The infiltrators have been outfiltrated."

I barked a laugh. "What does that even _mean_?"

**GOTHAM CITY  
AUGUST 9  
01:15 EDT**

The debrief in the Cave was quick. Wally and Artemis seemed to have come to an understanding of some sort. Superboy had found himself a new shirt to wear after the other one was destroyed. Kaldur wasn't dead.

"All in all, a fairly successful mission in my book." I told Robin as he exited the busted phone booth that serviced as Gotham's Zeta-tube.

"Coulda gone worse." he conceded, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "The Fog could've hacked the Batcomputer, the Shadows could've learned the identity of every Leaguer and their personal Kryptonite, which would then undoubtedly lead to the death of the Justice League and the end of the world as we know it."

"Dramatic much?" I scoffed, climbing up a nearby fire escape. I was all for skulking around back-alleys in one of the most dangerous cities in America, but Robin preferred to travel via rooftop. "S'not like there aren't other teams of super-"

"Wait." He cut me off, glancing back down into the alley. "Look."

The phone box glowed with the telltale yellow glow of a Zeta-tube. Robin and I dashed up the fire escape and onto the buildings roof. We hunkered down, peering over the edge. The light faded. The door was forced open.

And Artemis stepped out.

"What the hell?" Robin murmured, eyes widening as he leaned forward. I grabbed his cape and pulled him back.

"Careful!" I whispered. "She'll see you."

We both stared over the ledge again. There was no mistaking it. That was Artemis, bow and ponytail and all.

"What happened to her being Green Arrow's niece?" I wondered aloud. "Shouldn't that mean she lives near him?"

"It should." Robin agreed. "Something tells me the League've been lying to us."

Down on ground level, Artemis stiffened and whirled around, bow raised. Dick and I shrunk further into the shadows. Though she wasn't aiming her bow towards us.

"Step into the light." She commanded, addressing the darkness. I exchanged a glance with Robin, who shrugged. Our masks weren't fitted with night-vision.

We only wore those ones on special occasions.

"Nice move."

"Harper." I growled, glaring down as his outline turned into his full figure, the pale streetlamp glow barely illuminating him. "Almost made me believe you are Green Arrows niece. But we both know you're not."

"Le gasp!" Dick snickered, making me giggle. He clamped a hand over my mouth to mute my cackle as we continued to watch the archers below.

"Still." Red sighed. "I'm sure GA and Bats have a reason for lying. So your cover's safe. But I warn you," he leaned down, drawing his face close to Artemis'. If I were her, I'd bite his nose. But that's just me. "Do _not_ hurt my friends. _Any_ of them."

And with that, he turned away, stalking down the alley and into the darkness once more. Even from here, I could see Artemis' shoulders sink. She waited for a minute or two-probably to make sure Red was gone-before heading away in the same direction.

Dick finally extracted his gloveless hand, rubbing it on his cape.

"I can't believe you licked me."

"What did you expect?" I laughed, thumping him playfully on the shoulder. "Don't wanna get licked, stay away from my face." I paused for a second, rethinking that statement in my head. "That sounded kinda dirty."

"Lil' bit." Dick smirked. "But we've got more important things to do."

I grinned. "Hack Bruce's systems."

"To find the true identity of our beloved new friend Artemis." He finished. "We've have some serious detective-ing to get down to. Race you home!"

He took off, sprinting over the rooftops I was still only learning to manoeuvre.

"No fair!" I screamed after him, watching as he flipped and somersaulted between Gotham's chimney's. "You cheating wanker!"

**WAYNE MANOR  
AUGUST 9  
01:34 EDT **

"Hack faster, birdbrain."

"I'm going as fast as I can." Dick hissed at me fingers flying furiously over the Batcomputers many keyboards. "This is _way_ harder than it looks."

"Doesn't look that hard." I murmured, glancing nervously at the door…again.

"Would you like to try?" he asked sarcastically, sticking his tongue between his teeth in deep concentration.

"I can't." I moaned. "Pepper wouldn't let me take any of my gear with me. all my bugs and virus transmitters and everything I did to pass my metalwork exam are firmly locked in a safe somewhere."

"What did you expect? You spent your weekends converting microwaves into live explosives."

"I only did that once." I reminded him. "And it was a _toaster_, not a microwave. _Far_ harder to weaponise a toaster."

"Please." He scoffed, giving me a sidelong grin. "You could weaponise a pumpkin if you really wanted to."

"Yeah." I smiled. "I could."

The screens of the computer dissolved into a wall of coding, millions of billions of numbers scrolling up and down the huge monitors.

"Almost…" Dick hummed, eyebrows furrowed. "C'mon, come on!" Finally, the coding disappeared and a pretty standard bio file filled the screen, the leftmost monitor depicting Artemis' face. "Gotcha, you sneaky mother fucker!"

"Language, Dick." I snickered, flicking his ear. "Since when do you curse that much?"

"You're a bad influence." He shrugged, flicking me back. He shoved a USB key into the computer and started to download while I sped-read some of the text.

"Holy…" My jaw dropped as I read through the listings. Under the reading 'Relations', three names appeared.

**Paula Nguyen-Crock a.k.a. Huntress [retired]**

**Lawrence Crock a.k.a. Sportsmaster [active, location: unknown]**

**Jade Nguyen a.k.a. Chesire [active, location: unknown]**

"That's some bloodline." Dick mumbled, memory stick hanging limply by its strap in his hand. "Why didn't Bruce tell us?"  
"I don't know." I admitted, scanning through Artemis' 'History' section. Poor girl had a rough life. "Should we tell the others?"

Dick shook his head. "It's not our secret. We have to keep it." I glanced over, surprised to find his gaze already on me. There was a sort of sadness hidden in his deep blue eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He started, apparently unaware he had been staring.

"Nothing." He murmured. "Just thinkin'. Hey!" He perked up, jerking his head in the direction of the stairs. "It's after midnight. Wanna go torture the birthday boy?"  
I grinned. "Oh, he's gonna hate us!"

Still in our costumes (minus our masks and Dicks cape) we sprinted up the stairs to Bruce's study, startling Ace from his slumber by the fire. The giant German Shepherd grumbled, simply turning onto his stomach and falling back to sleep.

_Some bloodhound. _

Dick and I tiptoed past Alfred's chambers, then continued our rampage up the huge staircase in the foyer to the second floor. The two of us skidded to a stop outside Jason's room. Dick held up three fingers, counted down and flung the door open, leaping onto the mound of comforters with me right behind him. It wasn't until I was midair, my trajectory absolute, that I realised what the bed was covered in.

_Lego._

Have you ever accidentally stepped on Lego? There is no physical pain more excruciating, no way, no how.

Now, imagine that pain, except _everywhere_.

Blocks overflowed the mattress, slipping in waves onto the carpeted floor. Little shiny lights embedded themselves into my cheek, bigger Lego Technic pieces digging into my spine. Dick, in a mad attempt to save himself serious injury, had tried to miss the bed entirely. He had somewhat succeeded, smacking full-force into the headboard, then landing in a disgruntled heap on the floor.

And behind us, a smug little voice snickered.

"Serves you right, douches."

**Oh Jason, you malevolent bastard. I know he's only eleven in 2010, but I wanted him to be twelve so I could send all three of them to Gotham Academy (twelve year olds can go to Gotham Academy,, right? I'm not from America! Don't judge me!)**

**Now, I've got a question for you.**

**RE: ****_Young Justice Legacy_****. The game that has caused so much controversy within the YJ community.**

**Wadaya think guys? Yay or Nay? I know that the graphics are awful and the tagline is cheesy and the trailer made me want to cry, but I dunno. I really wanna get it, just to see what happened during the time skip. Also the sale of merchandise might help jumpstart a season 3. But on the other hand…do I want ****_Arkham Origins_**** more? Yeah, yeah I do.**

**What do you guys think?**

**Are you gonna get it? If so, why? If not, how come? **

**I'm just curious. **

**Leave a review or PM me if you've got an opinion on the subject. If not, review anyways, and PM me with anything! (I get bored, and my phone is busted so I can't text. Need help with homework? I'm your girl!)**

**Anywhoosies, I gotta get back to planning a heist. TTFN!**

**-skullcandy**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Nine Realms and Non-Believers**

**MOUNT JUSTICE  
****AUGUST 19  
****19:39 EDT****  
**

_Initiate combat training. Three…two…one._

Kaldur and Superboy circled each other on the training floor, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. I know I should've been watching them. Learn through example…or whatever it is. But really, pocket minecraft is so much more interesting. And that's how I ended up on the Mission Room floor, tapping away furiously at the screen of my phone, while Artemis and M'gann talked above my head.

"Kaldur's nice, doncha think?" Artemis mused. "Handsome. Commanding. You should _totally_ ask him out."

"He's like a big brother to me." M'gann said, shrugging one shoulder. "But you know who would be _great_ together? You and Wally!" Both girls turned their heads to the aforementioned speedster, who was leaning against the far wall, eating a burrito. "You're so full of passion and he's so full of…of?"

"It?" Artemis suggested. The two girls laughed.

I was blown up by a creeper, and swore creatively for the best part of thirty seconds.

"Actually." M'gann sang in a dreamy voice. "You know who would make the _cutest_ couple? Brooklyn and Robin!"

At the mention of my name I glanced up, eyeing them both sceptically behind my glasses.

"You're so right!" Artemis agreed, grinning down at me with a way-to-big-to-be-real grin. "They'd be just so adorable, wouldn't they?"

"Hows about no?" I deadpanned, averting my attention back to my game.

"C'mon, Brooke, have you never thought of you and Rob getting together?" M'gann asked, sitting down beside me. "I mean, he's attractive, and leaderly, and strong, and-"

"A, 'leaderly' isn't a word." I jerked quickly to the side in an attempt to avoid an Enderman. "And B, if he's so great why don't _you_ date him?" I smirked, eyeing a certain shirtless Kryptonian who had just thrown Kaldur to the ground. "Or are you savin' yourself for someone else?" Her cheeks flamed a violent red.

_Hehe…I win._

We all stared when Red Tornado entered the room, via a hatch in the ceiling that led to his 'personal chambers'. Kid, being Kid, dashed over before the android had even touched down.

"Do you have a mission for us?" he asked hopefully. I used the wall to push myself up, rubbing my tailbone, which had long since fallen asleep. I joined the others as they gathered around Red Tornado.

"_Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility_." Red reminded us.

"Yeah, well the Batman's with 'The Robin' doing the Dynamic Duo thing in Gotham." Wally pointed out dryly. Apparently the other sidekicks weren't overly happy that Dick spent so much time with his mentor. All were shocked that I wasn't always with them. But I didn't take any of it personally. Batman and Robin were the 'Dynamic Duo'. I wasn't Robin's female counterpart (a Girl Wonder, if you will). I had long since come to terms with the fact that I would never be the same as Robin, never mean as much as Robin. I was just me. And 'just me' wasn't Batman's protégée.

She was an avenger at heart.

"You're headed somewhere, right?" Wally asked energetically. "Hot date? Or a mish-own?"

"If we can be of assistance." Kaldur cut in. Because Wals really was advertising us as desperate. Not that we weren't, but it looked bad.

Red turned and brought up the holo screen, which showed a picture of an old man-a _very_ old man. "_This is Kent Nelson_." Red told us. "_A friend. He is one hundred and six years old."_

"Jesus." I breathed, scanning the elder's pixilated face.

"Guy doesn't look a day over ninety." Wally murmured. This statement was exceptionally true. I would've pegged him for eighty something, not _ancient_.

"_He has been missing for twenty three days_." RT continued as if we hadn't spoken. "_Kent was a charter member of the Justice Society. A precursor to your mentors Justice League and inspiration for virtually every team of super powered individuals on this planet."_

"Of course!" Kaldur interjected. "Nelson was earths Sorcerer Supreme. He was Doctor Fate!"

"Pfft." Wally snickered under his breath, leaning in towards Artemis and me (namely Artemis, but whatever). "More like Doctor Fake. Guy knows a little advance science and 'Dumbledore's' it up to scare the bad guys and impress the babes."

"That's not true." I stated evenly, eyeing Wally. He simply blinked, giving me a strange look.

"You believe in magic?" he asked, clearly doubtful. "But…your dad was one of the greatest scientific minds the world has ever seen. Wouldn't believing in the hocus-pocus stuff go against everything he taught you?"

"No." I replied simply. "My father believed in magic. Not at first, but he did. And of course I believe. An Asgardian god used to change my nappies. Have you forgotten that?"

"Please." Wally scoffed. "The Asgardians aren't gods. They're just a race of aliens with futuristic tech."

"Same with the elves?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Same with the fire demons, and the dwarves, and the drag-"

"Do _not_ say dragons." Wally snickered. "There is _no way_ that dragons are real. You're just screwing with me."

"Of course there are dragons." I laughed, throwing my hands in the air. "Why would I tell the truth about elves and midgets but lie about dragons?"

"Because dragons are just-just _dragons_!"

"_God_!" Artemis sighed dramatically. "Will you two just shut up? Who cares if dragons are real or not?" She turned her attention back to Red Tornado, crossing her arms. "What were you saying about this Nelson guy?"  
"_Kent may simply be on one of his…walkabouts_." Red elaborated. "_But he is caretaker to the helmet of Fate, the source of the doctor's mystic might. And it is wise to leave such power unguarded."  
_"He is like the great Sorcerer Supreme of Mars!" M'gann breathed. "I would be honoured to help find him."

Wally's hand shot into the air at lightning speed, almost hitting me in the face in the process. "Me too!" he cried animatedly. "_So_ honoured I can barely stand it. Magic…rocks" To demonstrate, he help up both hands, bringing his middle and ring finger down to touch his palm. It was probably meant to look like the rock hand gesture. Really, it looked like the thing Spiderman does.

"Oh, that little shit." I grumbled fondly, grinning at the ginger idiot, who was in turn grinning at M'gann. "He'll do anything for a snog."  
"If snog means what I think it means, them yeah." Artemis agreed, eyeing Wally with far less affection. "He's a real attention whore."

Red Tornado presented Kaldur'ahm with a key, which was apparently the way into the 'Tower of Fate'. The six of us headed to the hanger, boarded the Bio-Ship and strapped ourselves in. None of us had bothered to change out of our civvies-this wasn't really a mission, after all-so we were airborne almost immediately. The trip to Salem wasn't going to be a short one. Even my poor knowledge of American geography was enough to know we'd be in the air for at least two hours. So you can imagine my utter dismay when, after just fifteen short minutes, Artemis tried to pick a fight.

"So, Wally." she began conversationally from her place at the front of the Bio-Ship. I was nestled into the back right corner again, which I had kind of claimed as my 'spot'. "When did you first realise your _honest affinity_ for sorcery?" I perked up, resting my elbows on my raised knees.

"Well, I-I don't like to b-brag." Wally stammered, shooting M'gann an expectant look. "But, uh, before I became Kid Flash I _seriously_ considered becoming a wizard myself."

Artemis rolled her eyes and I groaned, rubbing my cheeks in exasperation. Did he have _any_ idea how utterly ridiculous he sounded? "This isn't Harry Potter." I reminded him. "And you're not Ron Weasley. So stop acting the maggot."  
"I'm not acting!" Wally declared, shooting me a look that clearly read '_don't blow this for_ me'. "I've always believed in the mystic arts. I just haven't said anything till now."

"Okay, okay." I laughed, holding my hands up in surrender. "Message received. You're a regular little warlock, so you are." The Bio-Ship fell silent again. M'gann informed us that we were thirty minutes from our destination. What I found funny was that we would technically arrive when it was half eight, having self at half seven. Time zones man. They're a weird one.

"_Soooo_." I glanced up to find Wally staring at me with an amused expression that I very much didn't trust. "Elves, huh?"

"What about them?" I asked.

"Are they as hot as the ones in Elder Scrolls?"

I rolled my eyes. "I've only ever met two, and they were both twelve. Thor used to take me to Asgard with him, but never anywhere else." I sighed, falling back in my chair. "I always wanted to go to Alfheim. Or even Svartalfheim. But I wasn't allowed." When I realised everyone was staring at me, I explained. "Alfheim is the home of the Light Elves, Svartalfheim is the home of the Dark Elves."

"Is there a difference?" Superboy asked. "Or is it a racial skin colour type thing?"

"Well apparently the Dark Elves are evil." I said. "Y'know, because they deal in black magic and slavery and marry off brothers and sisters, but I quite liked Fion." As an afterthought, I added, "She was sort of my handmaiden whenever I was in Asgard. I think she was kept there against her will, but she never complained about it."

"You had a handmaiden?" Artemis asked disbelievingly. I just nodded. "And what about the other ones? The good elves."

"The only reason they're classed as good is because they can't tell lies. Like, _literally_ incapable of saying something untrue." I told them. "But they almost never tell the truth. They dance around it, never directly answering any quesrions. And from what I've heard, their queens a real nasty piece of work."

Wally snickered. "I seriously can't believe we're having this conversation. I mean, elves?" M'gann shot him a strange look, and he backtracked quickly. "I mean, _elves_! Of course there're elves! Why-why wouldn't there be?" He scratched his head awkwardly. "Okay, we studied Norse mythology in school last year. So…Vinaltheim. That's one of the seven realms, isn't it?"

"There're nine realms, and it's _Vanaheim_." I corrected. "That's where the Vanir live. They're like Asgardians except…more medieval. All lords and ladies and wars and that. They don't have any of the real Asgardian power, but they were still worshiped as Gods."

The six of us got into a rather animated conversation after that, the others adding in their limited knowledge of frost giants and fire demons while I tried my best to explain the ethical system in Nidavellir. Halfway through my story about Lady Kára, the Vanirian warrior who had saved dragons from extinction, M'gann announced we had arrived in Salem.

"There's nothing here." Superboy observed, leaning forward to get a better view of the deserted car park. "Are you sure this is the right place."

"These _are_ the exact coordinates I received from Red Tornado." M'gann confirmed. "Maybe-maybe he got them wrong?"

"Doubt it." I murmured. "We might as well check it out."

"Take us down." Kaldur ordered, and the Bio-Ship slowly rested on the dusty tarmac. We all filed out into the cold night, the sharp breeze bitter against my cheeks. I pulled up the collar of my jacket as I gazed around. The parking lot was ringed with rundown buildings, some freshly abandoned, some decaying and dilapidated. And absolutely no sign of any 'Tower of Fate'.

"The Tower must be here somewhere. Kid." Kaldur turned to Wally, who was kicking the toe of his sneaker against the crumbling asphalt. "Do a sweep. Check for anything…out of the ordinary."

Wally nodded and took off, reappearing ten seconds later.

"Nothing. This isn't simple camouflage." he said.

Artemis folded her arms over her chest. "So wadaya think? Adaptive micro opto-electronics combined with phase shifting?"

"Absolutely." Kid agreed, only to falter once M'gann neared. "Not! Clearly mystic powers are at work here."

Artemis sent him a pointed glare that one should really save for the people you most hate. We debated for a moment on what to do next, when Kaldur glanced down at the key in his hand.

"A test of faith." He murmured. Without warning he turned and strode across the lot. We all followed until he came to an abrupt stop. He stretched out his hand, key clasped between his fingers. He ordered us all to stand behind him, then pushed the key out. There was a small clink, and the top half of the key disappeared. After a moment, a faint outline appeared, which solidified into a door, which grew into a tower that rose high into the night sky.

"Whoa." I mumbled, craning my neck upwards. "What're the odds of finding that teeny tiny keyhole?"

"Indeed." Aqualad said, pushing the door open. "Follow me." We all slipped silently through the huge wooden door, which slammed shut behind us. Even though I knew the outcome, I reached forward and jerked the handle down.

It was locked.

Cursing, I turned away from the exit to examine my surroundings. The interior of the tower was much like the exterior. Everything was made of either ancient-looking stone or sturdy timber, with mounted torch brackets dotting the high walls.

"Uh, where'd the door go?" Superboy asked. I whipped around, hand outstretched, expecting my fingers to brush against the wooden planks. But they didn't.

They brushed against stone, cool and damp.

"It was just here." I whispered, running my hand along the wall, searching for something unusual. "I swear it was-"

"Greetings."

I jumped, spinning with my fists raised, ready to fight. When I saw the old man from the holo computer standing before us I allowed my arms to drop, feeling rather foolish. Kent Nelson floated a few inches above the ground, his whole body a green-yellow colour. Not the real Kent Nelson. A hologram.

"You have entered with a key but the Tower does not recognise you." The projection continued. "Please state your purpose and intent."

Before any of us could object, Wally dashed forward, arms out. "We are true believers, here to find Doctor Fate!"

The projection made a rather sad face before flickering out, disappearing from view. I was about to reach over and punch Wally-possibly in the shoulder or facial region-when a crackling sound filled my ears. The floor beneath our feet began to shake violently, until it eventually fell away.

Revealing a pit of molten lava.

We fell, fast and hard. I tried to push myself upward, snapping my palms against the air, but I couldn't concentrate, couldn't gain any purchase. I rose an extra two feet before falling again, straight down the middle, nowhere near a wall.

"_Shiiiiiiiit_" I screeched, the lava fast approaching beneath my feet. I didn't know what to do except throw my hands over my head and hope that I was flame retardant.

And then something slammed into me, knocking the air from my lungs.

Superboy dug his fingers into the wall he had flung against, fighting for purchase while we continued to slide down, me clumsily thrown over his shoulder. He slammed his feet into the rock, slowing us down, but not enough. He cried out as his feet sank beneath the surface of the flaming liquid, jerking to pull them out. I slipped further down his shoulder so my stomach was parallel to his back. He clutched the back of my thighs tightly so I wouldn't fall face-first into the lava.

"Those…were my favourite boots." He panted, curling his toes deeper into the stone. "This Nelson guy better be worth it."

"I'll buy you knew ones." I promised, wincing as the boiling steam from the pool made my eyes water. My glasses started to slide down my nose and I had to pull them off to make sure they wouldn't get incinerated. The world blurred around me, but it was the lesser of my troubles. "Least I can do after you saving me and all." I turned my head to look above us. A blob that looked like M'gann was struggling to keep both herself and Wally suspended telekinetically above the fire.

"Having trouble…maintaining altitude." She huffed as the pair dropped another half-dozen feet. "I'm so _hot_."

"You certainly are." Wally said. My jawed physically dropped.

"WALLY!" Artemis hollered at the same time I yelled "ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?!"

"Inches above sizzling death I am entitled to speak my mind!" he cried back.

"Fine!" I growled. "Then I'll speak my mind too. _You're a fucking retard!_"

"And _you're_ a little asshole with a serious swearing problem!"

"Will you two shut up?" Artemis yelled. "Kaldur, what's wrong?"

"My physiology-and M'gann's-are susceptible to extreme heat." he gasped. "We must climb out quickly."

"Might be a little hard to do." I grumbled, sliding further down Superboys back, who was in turn sliding further down the wall.

"Hello Megan!" the Martian heaved, finding the energy to slap her forehead. "We never truly answered…the question…" She cupped her hand around her mouth and yelled out, "Red Tornado sent us…to see if Mr. Nelson…and the helmet…were safe."

to my utter disbelief, two panels slid out from the wall, covering the lava pit seconds before M'gann and Wally would have landed in it. I scampered off of Superboys shoulder, landing on my outstretched hands and flipping to my feet. Superboy hopped down beside me, Artemis and Kaldur joining us soon after that. I swiped sweat from my forehead with my sleeve, shoving my glasses back up my slippery nose. Once I could see again I noticed Kaldur was crouching down, examining the floor beneath us.

"This platform should be red hot." he said, his webbed fingers gliding over the metal. "But it is cool to the touch."

"Don't worry Megalishious." Wally said 'smoothly', drapping an arm over the green girls sagging shoulders. "I gotcha."

"ENOUGH!" Artemis screamed, stalking over to Kid and thumping him hard on the chest. "Your little 'impress Megan at all costs' game nearly got us all barbequed!"

"When did all this become my fault?" Wally demanded, arms out.

Artemis scowled, a glare that would have done Batman proud. "When you lied to that…whatever it was, and called yourself a true believer!"

"Wally." M'gann spoke softly. "You don't believe?" we all gathered round, waiting for his reply.

He fidgeted for a second before letting out a frustrated grunt. "Fine! _Fine_! I lied about believing in magic! But magic's the real lie. A major load!"

"Wally, I studied for a year at the Conservatory of Sorcery in Atlantis." Kaldur told him. "The mystic arts created the skin icons that power my water bearers."

"Dude, you ever hear of bio-electricity? Hey, in primitive cultured _fire_ was once considered magical too!"

"Aw, I would've been a god." I whined, jutting out my bottom lip. "I wanna be worshipped."

"Yeah, like you need the ego boost." Wally snorted. "But my point is there's no such thing as magic. It's all just a bunch of tricks."

"You're pretty closed-minded for a guy that can break the sound barrier in his sneakers." Artemis observed.

"That's science." He bit back. "I recreated Flash's laboratory experiment and here I am!" He sang the last part in a condescending tone, before turning to me. "And before you start with your dwarves and gods and demons, let me tell you, once again, that they are _aliens_. Different breeds living in different dimensions connected by that rainbow road."

"It's a bridge." I snapped. "And they're _not_ aliens."

"Yes they are! It's the only scientific explanation, so that's what I'm sticking to."

"Let us test that theory." Aqualad said smugly. He reached down and wrapped his fingers around a latch in the floor. He pulled it up, a trap door rising from the metal plating.

"NO! Wally cried. "The back draft from the lava will roast us alive!" But even as he said it, Kaldur heaved the door open and a cold breeze filled the air. Tiny flecks of snow and ice wafted up from the hole. I reached out and caught a snowflake on my hand. It didn't melt, the perfect crystal flower holding its form on my warm palm.

"It's snow!" M'gann laughed, running her fingers through the space.

"Do you ever get tired of being wrong?" Artemis asked Wally with a satisfied grin. Said speedster glared, looking exceptionally pissed off. I snickered, leaping through the hole in the floor. I felt the strangest pulling sensation and landed on my feet…sideways?

"What the actual fuck?" I laughed breathlessly, crouching down to scoop up a handful of snow. "So, oh mighty scientific one!" I called as Wally made his way through the door as well, which disappeared behind him. "How d'you explain this?"

"Ever hear of string theory? We're in a pocket dimension."

"Mmmmmhmmmm." I hummed slowly, firing a snowball at his face, hitting him square in the cheek. "You're an asshat. Have I ever told you so?"

"Uh, what's that?" M'gann asked. I glanced over to see exactly what 'that' was. It looked like a cane. Nothing special. Dark wooden shaft with a cheaply finished handle.

"Oooo, maybe it's Nelson's magic wand!" Kid murmured sarcastically, dashing forward to grab the cane just as Artemis moved to do the same thing. They both wrapped their hands around it and shouted 'I got it.

But they didn't have a chance to fight over who got it first.

Because they both shot up into the sky and disappeared in a golden light.

I stared up after them, completely stunned.

"Um…what the fuck?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** **Hey everybody! I read somewhere that if you start every chapter with an AN it can be off-putting, so ima hang out down here from now on ;) Thanks to everyone who PM'd instead of reviewing (I think FF has a serious case of PMS) and thanks to EvilCheescake437, Zabuzas Girl and RtheAwesome who _did_ manage to review before things went down.**  
**But people, for reals: 71 reviews, 37 favourites, 44 followers and almost four _thousand_ views? You guys all need cookies or medals or something. Possibly a commemorative plate of some sort.**  
**Anyways, thanks to everyone who read since last time, thanks for sticking with my painfully slow updates, thanks for putting up with my stupidity in…pretty much everything. Just…thanks.**  
**See you next week!**

**TTFN**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Screw popularity, I like being up here!  
****So, guess what? HAVOK HAS REACHED 50+ FOLLOWERS! *insert happy dance here*  
****And I can't…I don't…I just…*squeals* You people are awesome.  
****Thanks to piggythelaw, EvilCheesecake437, RtheAwesome, LadyFelton1994, SnowWolf22, lostgamer64, running with wolves and Lil Miss Sunshine14 for reviewing, and also to everyone who faved/followed/read. The usual, y'know.  
****Disclaimer ('cause I haven't done one in a while): I still don't own nothin'. So that's a kick to the proverbial crotch.**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Gotta Have Faith Faith Faith**

**SALEM  
****AUGUST 19  
****21:06 EDT****  
**

Trudging through the seemingly endless landscape of snow and ice, I found myself contemplating Wally's logic. Indestructible man with laser vision? No problemo. Fish people? Sure, why not?

Flying lizards? No frickin' way.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

I started, glancing up at Superboy. "Nothin'. Just Wally and his anti-fantasy campaign." I bumped my shoulder against his hip (the only spot I was tall enough to bump) as we continued to walk. "What about you? You've been awful quiet when it comes to the magic debacle. What does the great Superboy believe?"  
He shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't given it much thought. I guess I know it's all real, but…"

"Knowing something's real and believing in it are two completely different things." I told him as a cold breeze whipped past, stinging my cheeks. I focused a small portion of my energy on raising my body temperature. Soon, I couldn't feel a thing. "Take Jesus, for example. Historical documents have been found dating back to the that time period stating that there was, in fact, a man named Jesus proclaiming to be the son of God. Therefore, I know he was real. But do I _believe_ he was the son of God? No. Belief is something simple facts can't buy. It has to come from within." I faltered, blinking a few times while I thought what I'd said over. "Wow, that sounded cheesy."

"Pretty philosophical for a pre-teen." Superboy said, showing a small smile.

I grinned back. "I do try to be at my most philosophic in times of crisis."

"I don't understand Wally." I heard M'gann say to Kaldur from up ahead. I jogged to catch up. "It's almost like he needs to believe the impossible can't happen."

"Wally uses his understanding of science to control what he cannot comprehend." Kaldur explained. "Acknowledging the existence of magic would be to relinquish the last vestige of that control."

"Doesn't mean he has to be such a dick about it." I mumbled, kicking at a clump of snow. A loud groan followed by a thwack ensued. I looked around frantically for whatever I'd broken. "I swear that wasn't me!"

"We know." Kaldur told me, glancing over my shoulder. I turned to see a door atop a hill of snow. I let out a sigh and followed the others up the mound.

"Is going through another mystery door a good idea?" Superboy asked. "Hasn't done us much good so far."

"Seconded." I piped up.

Kaldur furrowed his brows, eyeing the entryway skeptically. "Finding Wally and Artemis is our highest priority." He stepped up, making his way forward. "Follow me."

**SALEM  
****AUGUST 19  
****22:12 EDT****  
**

Walking up one flight of stairs while Aqualad walked on another overhead, I couldn't help but rethink…my whole entire life.

"I honestly never thought it'd get to the point where gravity was in question." I called out to the others, all of whom were strolling along their respective walls. "Does anyone else feel sick?"

"This is an…odd sensation." Kaldur said, jumping up and flipping so he landed next to me. The whole show made my head spin. "But we must keep looking. The exit has to be here somewhere."

"What if there isn't one?" I asked. "This tower hasn't been playing by the rules so far. Who's to say there's an _out_ just 'cause there was an _in_?"

"We must not give up."

"Yeah. I guess we can't."

We kept searching for doorways, portals, hatches. Anything that could get us out of the labyrinth of stairs. But after what felt like days of searching, we had nothing to show.

"Maybe we're not looking hard enough." M'gann suggested once we'd met up again. "We must be missing _something_."

"Yeah, but what?" I grumbled tiredly, rubbing my eyes. "We've scanned every inch of this place and have come up with zilch. Nada. Nuffin'."

"Maybe we should-"

Whatever M'gann was about to suggest died on her lips when a glowing yellow light appeared beneath our feet. I glanced down just as the floor gave way. I shot myself into the air, not wanting to fall into another burning ring of fire. But Superboy and Aqualad both fell down.

And hit the floor with a heavy thud soon after.

M'gann and I made our way down, her landing a tad more graceful than mine, considering I fell three times as fast ad nearly snapped my ankle.

"Friends of yours?"

I turned to see Artemis and Wally, along with the hologram guy from before. Artemis ran over, reaching us just as a bolt of lightning (yeah, _lightning_) shot past. I dived to prevent incineration, rolling into a crouch beside Aqualad.

"Uh, who's that guy?" I asked, jerking my head up towards our attackers. One was a creepy kid with a cat. The other looked like a wannabe Jack Sparrow. Or maybe the Will guy…

"Abracadabra. An enemy of the Flash. The other one I am not familiar with." Aqualad said before whipping out his water bearers. I clicked my fingers, fireballs curling in my palms. My teammates braced themselves, ready to fight.

Suddenly, a church bell tolled, making me clap my hands over my ears.

And that's all it took.

Abracadabra sent another beam our way from his little wand. It hit me square in the chest, agony coursing through my veins. I flew through the air in a very undignified manner and crashed in a heap on the ground, hands wrapped around my gut. I made a move to stand, but an electric dome formed over me head, which I thwacked off, electrocuting myself thoroughly.

I groaned, peaking out from behind my hair at my teammates, hoping they would put up more of a fight then me.

Yeah…they didn't.

Abra had already taken down Aqualad and was making a joke of our residential Boy of Steel. Artemis was firing arrows from her miniature crossbow, put they did nothing to better our cause either. It didn't take long for them to fall too, trapped under Abra's energy net…thingies. Seriously pissed off, I dropped my hands to the floor, making it shake. Abra spun around, caught sight of me, and twirled his stupid little stick. The net closed in around me, sending fresh volts along my back and arms. I cried out, eyes watering so bad I couldn't see.

'_Wally, we're in trouble._' I heard M'gann's voice over the psychic link. '_Tell Kent we need Doctor Fate.'_

Abra sent a stream towards the Martian, making her scream and collapse. The five of us were down for the count, and Wally (at some stage) had disappeared.

I was seriously regretting turning down Patrol with Batman.

Last time I tell him I wanna hang out at the cave…

The dome closed in, the pain almost unbearable. I think I was screaming, but I'm not quite sure.

That's when I passed out.

* * *

_"I cannot _believe_ you!" Pepper screamed, pacing back and forth across the living room. Bruce stood still as a statue by the fire, looking at me with sad eyes. Dick and Jason had been sent upstairs. I was on the couch, arms folded in my lap, head bowed._

_"I'm _sorry_ Pep." I murmured guiltily. "I was going to tell you but-"_

_"But _what_?" she demanded, fiery ponytail flying like a whip behind her as she turned on me. "What could possibly justify you running around in a crime-ridden city, taking out rapists and thugs, and not telling me?"_

_I glanced up from my examination of the carpeting. "I didn't think you'd approve."_

_"Didn't think I'd…" Pepper trailed off, blind fury contorting her features. "Of course I don't approve! You're too young for this, Brooklyn. You're still a child!"_

_From the background, Bruce cleared his throat. "You have to give her more credit, Pepper. She's-"_

_"Don't. You. Dare." Pepper growled, rounding on him. Even though he was a crime fighting vigilante (not to mention twice her size), I swear to God I saw him flinch. "You take her away from everything she knows, and you turn her into a superhero?"_

_"It was her decision." Bruce told her, the muscles in his jaw visibly twitching. "I would never force her into anything. She chose the path in life she's on."_

_"You shouldn't have provided it! She's not your daughter!"  
"She isn't yours either."_

_They both went rigid, and turned to face me. I had shrunk as far back into the cushions as physically possible, which really wasn't far enough. They stared at me for a second, eyes completely blank._

_And at the same time, they said:_

Brooklyn?

My eyelids fluttered, revealing M'gann's face inches from mine.

"You okay?" she asked, looking concerned. "You were kinda whimpering."

"Shit." I groaned, rubbing my forehead. "Was I really?" She nodded, and I bit back a curse. "Do us a favour and don't tell anyone."

"I won't." she promised, standing up. She held out her hand and helped me to my feet. I was still on the floor in the room full of stairs, but the other were nowhere in sight. "What were you dreaming about?"

"Dream. Nightmare. Vision of the future. Who cares?" I smiled tightly. "It doesn't matter. What happened after I passed out?"

"Oh, that. Guess what! Wally saved us with the Helmet of Fate. _Wally_. Can you believe it?"

"Weird." I said flippantly, not really caring. "What time is it? Can we go home?"

"Just past midnight, I think." I nodded and started walking. "Uh, Brooklyn?" I turned to the Martian, cocking an eyebrow. "The exits that way." She pointed over her shoulder for emphasis.

I nodded knowingly, astutely heading in that direction. "Excellent observation M'gann. I was just testing you."

She rolled her eyes in a very me-like gesture. "Of course you were."

"But of course."

**WAYNE MANOR  
****AUGUST 20  
****00:34 EDT****  
**

_Recognise: Havok, B-Zero-Four._

Bruce was perched at the Batcomputer when I arrived back. He glanced over his shoulder, gave me a nod, and returned to his work. I made my way over to the elevator, but paused before entering.

"Bruce?" I called out. He gave a grunt of acknowledgement, eyes glued on the screen. "How do you think Pepper would react if she knew about all this?" He turned at that, looking at me curiously.

"About all what?"

"This." I swung my arms wide to encompass the cave. "You and Robin and the Team. All of it. What-what do you think she'd do?"

"I'm not sure." He told me, rising from his chair. He placed a hand on my shoulder, crouching down so we were eye to eye. "You know Pepper better than I do. How do you think she'd react?"

"She'd take me away." I mumbled, averting my gaze. "She'd make me leave. I know she would. But I don't want to leave. I like it here."  
"Then I think the only thing we can do is continue to not tell her." Bruce smiled. It only lasted for a second, but it was there. And it made me feel better. "You should get some sleep." He ruffled my hair as he stood, returning to the monitors.

But I wasn't done.

"Bruce?"  
"Yes?"

"I don't think I've ever thanked you for taking me in." I said quickly. "And I know you're not my father but…you remind me of him. Sometimes. So…thank you Bruce. For-for giving me an almost family." I sprinted into the elevator, cheeks burning. The doors slid closed, enveloping me in darkness.

I couldn't believe how gushy and stupid I had sounded. I wasn't exactly one for voicing my feelings, and even though I hadn't used the words, I had practically told Bruce I _loved_ him.

I decided to pretend it had never been said.

_I never saw the way Bruce smiled when I said it._

* * *

**Explanation Time!  
(like Adventure Time but not as good)**  
**So, I'll be the first to say that this chapter sucked. You can all back me up in your reviews later. But there is a _reason_! Yes, I have an excuse. Many actually.**  
**Okay, so this week was hectic at school because we got all our pre-PTM tests, which were awful (I'll let you guys know how many I failed later). Add to that the fact that I missed two days because of my new braces (which suck). Add to _that_ the fact that I spent the whole week worrying about the themes for my art exam (still worrying), and you've got a seriously emotional time. (also Love/Hate season four just started tonight). So I didn't put a lot of energy into this chapter and for that, I apologise.**  
**BUT WITH ANY LUCK ALL OF THIS WILL CHANGE!**  
**Next episode I have to cover is 'Downtime', the one when Robin gets all jealous of Aqualad. I can't do much with that episode because I don't have the comics (PLEASE DON'T HIT ME! They're impossible to get here and I'm _broke_) and from what I've gathered a lot of what happens before the opening of that episode is explained in those…I think. So, instead of doing that, next weeks chapter will be the very first one I do with no reference to the show (_le gasp_!) I'm not gonna say what's gonna happen but it's basically angsty/angry/kinda sad, with dabbles of cuteness near the end. Oh, and Pepper's gonna make an appearance, so you've got that to look forward to ;)**  
**Anywhoosies, reviews are much loved! Hope you enjoyed what I did instead of my studying for my maths exam…I'm gonna faaaaaaiiiil x_X**  
**See you next week!  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Hey. How've ya been? Life treating you well? Good.  
****FORMALITIES ARE OVER!  
****Thanks to piggythelaw, EvilCheesecake437, LadyFelton1994, RtheAwesome, Mick, Regin and lostgamer64 for reviewing. Thanks to everyone who faved/followed/read.  
****I'm soooo nervous about this chapter. It's the first time I've ever gone completely off-show, and I dunno how it turned out. It's also the first time I've ever tried writing angst (I think that's what it's called anyway) and I'm very sure I suck at it. Anyways, this chapter goes back and forth between ****Brooklyn and Dick, just so you know.**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Anniversary**

**WAYNE MANOR  
****AUGUST 27  
****08:15 EDT****  
**

I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock, blaring rhythmically, and it seemed as loud as an air siren, shouting at me with such ferocity that it sort of hurt my feelings. I rolled over in bed and squinted at the blurred red numbers, which to my short-sighted eyes faintly resembled an eight, a four and a five.

I kicked off the covers, stretched along the mattress like a cat, and crawled onto the floor. Yawning and rubbing my eyes, I made it halfway to the bathroom before I stopped dead.

A ball of lead planted itself firmly in my stomach as I turned to my nightstand, fishing for my glasses. Once I had shoved them on I picked up my phone, sliding my finger across the screen to unlock it.

August twenty-seventh.

I had forgotten.

For a brief moment in time I had forgotten what that day it was.

I stood still for a moment, just staring down at the LED screen. The phone hadn't done anything wrong. It wasn't the reason I despised that particular day so much. It was simply the messenger.

That didn't stop me from smashing it against the wall.

I sank to the floor, drawing my knees to my chest. That was an overreaction. Breaking my phone was a stupid thing to do. But I didn't care. I dug my short nails into my knees, clutching them so tightly my knuckles were stark white. Three years. They were gone _exactly_ three years. You'd think after suffering through the same shit twice before, their anniversary would've become easier for me to bear.

But it hadn't.

It really, really hadn't,

I forced myself to stand, padded over to the bathroom door and wretched the handle a little too hard. The whole structure shook on its hinges as I moved to stand in front of the mirror. My raven hair looked like a birds nest, but that was nothing new. It pretty much did what it wanted to do. I seemed paler. Dark purple shadows encircled my eyes even though I'd slept fine. It didn't matter. I would be covered in makeup soon enough. I felt like throwing up, the vile taste already coating the back of my throat, and I lifted the toilet seat just before I heaved. The prospect of what lay ahead was physically making me sick, which was nothing different than the year before.

I am what some people may call 'emotionally distant'. Some have used the term 'emotionally constipated'. Whatever phrase you use, it translates the same. I deal with grief the only way I know how: I don't. I push it down, swallow it whole and pretend like everything's fine.

But once a year, when the whole entire world shoehorned 'Avengers Day' down my throat, I sort of…lost it. I was prone to the occasional burst of homicidal rage, unexpected bouts of hysterical laughter and more than once I had simply sat in a corner and cried. The year before had been particularly ugly, and I had accidentally attacked an innocent news camera.

I'd paid to have it replaced, obviously.

Didn't mean YouTube took the video down.

After deciding against a shower, or dressing, or brushing my teeth, I headed downstairs for a breakfast I wouldn't eat.

* * *

**Dick Grayson **

"Be nice to Brooke today." Bruce told me over breakfast. "She isn't going to be in the best mood." I nodded, turning my attention back to the T.V. Instead of the news channel that was almost always on, Alfred had us watching _Scrubs_ on early morning Comedy Central. He thought it would be best to watch something light-hearted instead of all the broadcasts from New York, already streaming live footage from the starting line of the parade.

Christened 'Avengers Day', today was set to commemorate earth's mightiest heroes, who sacrificed themselves to stop the alien Skrull Empire from taking over. In retrospect, there wasn't a lot of 'commemoration' done. Avengers Day resembled St. Patrick's Day to some extent. There were huge parades, the largest held in New York, costume contests for kids and numerous other cheesy things to please the general public. The main event was this big remembrance ceremony in MadisonSquareGardens with an 'after party' for all the high-end guests. Stuff was auctioned, money was raised for charity. All in all, it was nice.

The only downside: Brooklyn went a little loco.

I hadn't known her last year, but Bruce had taken me to the gala. Already the talk of the town after lashing out at a cameraman, Brooke spend most of the night sitting at the bar trying to talk the bartender into selling her drinks. Considering she was twelve, I can see why he didn't. Considering she was offering to pay $100 for every shot, I can see why he was tempted to sell.

The slamming of a door made me turn in my seat. Brooke stalked into the room, still in a loose tank top and sweatpants, and plopped into the furthest possible point at the table. She crossed her arms over her chest and pulled u her knees, making herself as small as possible.

"Morning." I mumbled, giving her a bright smile. She scowled at me before returning her gaze to the mahogany table. I glanced over at Bruce, who simply shook his head. I nodded back and returned my attention to my Frosties.

"Is there anything in particular you would like for breakfast, ma'am?" Alfred asked. "I'd be more than happy to-"

"I'm fine thanks." Brooke snapped, her knuckles turning white as she gripped her upped arms tighter. "Unless muscle relaxers are on the menu." She looked up to add. "Or weed. Weed's pretty relaxing."

"Perhaps a cup of camomile tea instead?" Alfred suggested, clearly slightly disturbed. She groaned, but gave a curt nod, and Alfred sped away towards the kitchen.

"We'll be at the gala later tonight." Bruce told her softly. You know someone's bad when _Batman_ walks on eggshells. "If you want the boys and I can meet you in Madison Square and go together."

"I'm going with Pepper." she murmured as Alfred placed a teacup on the table in front of her. "She's taking me to the stupid parade, then we have to go to the retarded press conference. It's the same questions every year, I don't see why they don't just watch the old ones. It's just an excuse to ask Pepper and all the other Stark directors when the new tablet's coming out."

Normally, Bruce would have scolded her for using such bad language. Today, he simply nodded and returned to his paper.

"Can you switch to GBS Alfred?" Brooke asked as she wrapped her hands around the little cup.

"A-are you sure, ma'am?" he asked. "The coverage of the preparations will surely have started by now."

"I'm sure."

The old butler nodded, switching channels. The image changed from a _Friends_ commercial to Iris West-Allen, Wally's aunt, who was halfway through a report.

_"This years festivities are set to be the largest yet, with already over twelve thousand people gathering in upper Manhattan, where the parade is set to begin in a little over three hours. Cat Grant is our reporter on the scene. Cat?"_

A smaller box appeared in the corner of the screen, showing a beaming blond woman with a microphone.

_"Thanks Iris! This is Cat Grant reporting live from The Big Apple where New Yorkers and tourists alike are getting ready to celebrate our newest holiday!" _

She went on to explain the days events in great detail, talked to a few spectators, one of which as sporting a toy Iron Man helmet (disturbing, since he was no less than forty), but I found it hard to pay attention.

Brooke's tooth-grinding was pretty loud.

I did, however, manage to snap back into perspective when said tooth-grinders name was mentioned. I stared at the TV as they rolled the clip from last years big press conference. Brooke strode down the line of cameras and microphones, head down, fists clenched. Her hair-which was still a bright shade of blue-was close cropped at the sides, practically shaved, with a thicker mop on top that swept across her forehead. The reporters on either side bombarded her with questions.

_"How are you coping with the loss of your father?"_

_"Do you have any plans to follow in his footsteps?"_

_"Who's dress are you wearing?"_

_"Care to give a statement on the formation of the Justice League?"_

It was at that point that Brooklyn rounded on the nearest camera (which was sporting the footage) and drove her fist into the lens. The camera fell to the ground, image splintered with cracks and dots of blood. The picture was sideways, so all you could see was Brooklyn's boots as she sprinted into the conference hall.

I glanced over at Brooklyn now, and noticed that the liquid inside her cup was boiling, bubbles forming at the top. She didn't seem to notice the scalding steam that rose from her tea as she glowered intently at the wall mounted television.

"Uh, Brooke?" I waved my hand in front of her face. "You might wanna turn down the heat a little." She scowled at me, then down at her cup, which ceased its bubbling. She placed it down on the table and pushed it away.

Before anyone could make any sort of comment, the front doorbell rang. Alfred hurried off to answer it, and soon his voice echoed through the huge entryway.

"Welcome, Ms. Potts. Do come in. May I take your coat?"

"No thank you Alfred." A woman's voice answered followed by the click-clack of high heels on the marble floor. "We really can't stay long. Could you show me to the kitchen?"

A moment later Alfred appeared, followed by a short woman in incredibly high shoes and a pencil skirt. Pepper Potts smiled at me, gave a far tighter smile to Bruce and strode over to her goddaughter. She wrapped Brooklyn in a tight hug, oblivious to how much she protested.

"You okay sweetie?" she asked, her tight ponytail swinging behind her as she bent to look the girl in the eye.

Brooke shrugged, not looking at her. "It's debatable, I suppose. When do we have to leave?"

"Uh…" Pepper glanced down at the pyjama clad child. "Soon would be good. Do you mind getting dressed?"

Brooke grunted and pushed herself off of her chair, shuffling from the kitchen into the hallway and out of sight. Pepper lowered herself into a seat and accepted Alfred's offer of coffee. I couldn't help notice how sharp her features where, almost too sharp. Her hands where frail as well, her fingers slender. She'd lost a lot of weight since the least time I'd seen her back in June. Behind her thin glasses, her eyes were puffy.

She and Bruce made quaint conversation while I finished my cereal. I excused myself from the table, dumping my bowl in the sink, and made my way upstairs. Brooklyn door was closed, and she didn't answer when I knocked, so I settled for saying goodbye through the door and promising I'd call her later. That got a response.

Her door creaked open by a fraction, and she stuck her head through the gap. "Promise?" she asked. I nodded, and she gave a small almost-smile. "It's just…it's hard for me, all this shit." She opened the door fully and I glanced away, seeing as she was dressed in a tank top and underwear and nothing else. "T-talking to you, i-it might make it a little better, I suppose." She rubbed the back of her head in frustration as she tried to make sense of herself. "You get it. Coping with death and grief and all that…sh-shit. No one else really does, but you do."

"Yeah." I agreed, trapping her silver eyes with mine. It startled me, how heartbreakingly sad she looked. I'd never seen her sad before. I hoped I never saw it again. "I get it."

* * *

**Brooklyn Stark**

Pepper wasn't there when I re-entered the kitchen. I figured she was already outside-she didn't want to spend any more time than necessary at Wayne Manor-so I said goodbye to Bruce and Alfred and headed through the foyer.

Just as I suspected, Pepper was leaning against her Porsche, smoking a cigarette. She'd started smoking a few weeks after dad died.

I started a few months after that.

On and off though.

It's not that hard for eleven year olds to buy fags these days.

"Can I have one?" I asked as I slumped next to her. She quirked an eyebrow down at me. Normally she would have blown up in my face for asking, giving me the usual 'smoking is bad and you're too young' speech. Today, she just sighed.

"No, baby. You know how I feel about that."

"Please? Just the one and I won't ask for any more." _I'll just bum them off someone else._

She made a disgruntled sound in the back of her throat, but produced a pack of Marlboro Lights none the less. I took the pack, and took one out, clicking my fingers and touching the end off the flame. I took a long drag, blowing the smoke out through my nose. I was used to setting things on fire, so the smell had never bothered me.

I flicked the ashes off, studying my broken fingernails. "I thought you smoked Benson and Hedges."

"Nope, that was just you."

**MIDTOWN MANHATTAN  
****AUGUST 27  
****15:08 EDT****  
**

The parade was just as shitty as I had predicted. Everyone loved it. The floats were colourful and full of happy. Someone had gone to the trouble of making a life-size replica of the Iron Man armour with a moving arm so it waved at the spectators.

It was very disgusting, how cheerful everyone was. I was almost glad when it was over and Pepper and I made our way to the middle of the city for the conference. We were ushered backstage (or whatever it's called) for makeup and clothes and stuff. Pepper looked immaculate-as always-so all the work was being done on me.

Since I was sporting holey jeans, an oversized t-shirt and my classic beaten up black Converse…it was a lot of work.

Regina, a plump little woman with lots of fake blond hair, had spend the best part of two hours trying to make me look presentable. She'd vacuum packed me into a pine green dress, covered my face in an assortment of paint and ringed my eyes with a magic marker to give me the 'smokey eye look'. All of this had been easy.

The real challenge was my hair.

Tongs and brushes and medieval weaponry of all sorts had been used to tame my unruly locks, but after a great deal of work-and two full cans of hairspray-it had been flattened, then crumpled, then curled, then ironed straight. I looked nice, smelled strongly of coconuts and was a bigger fire hazard than usual.

All this for a lousy press conference I wasn't allowed to speak at.

I sat in my seat beside Pepper while she answered reporters questions. On my other side sat the Stark Industries advanced weaponry department head. his name was Roger, and he was nice. He'd slipped me a packet of Doritos before the conference started, so he was currently my favourite person at that table.

I was playing pocket minecraft on Pepper's Galaxy Note (a pre-release present from her friends at Samsung), so I had to be called three or four times before I realised I was being spoken to.

"What?" I asked, my voice echoing over the sound system with a crackle. I scooted back in my seat, away from the microphone.

"What are your thoughts on the Justice League replacing the Avengers?" repeated the reporter, a scrawny girl holding an E News mic. _So Ryan Seacrest was gonna be talking about little old me? How nice._

"They didn't replace them." I replied curtly. "The JLA is completely different."

"Really?" she asked. "Two teams of super-powered individuals who's purpose is to better the planet. Sounds pretty similar to me."

"Well they're _not_." I bit back, making Pepper reach under the table and squeeze my knee. I took her hint and reclined in my chair again. "To answer your question-and we've made it perfectly clear the League hasn't replaced the Avengers-I think that the JLA is a good thing. The world needs heroes, and who better to represent them than Batman and Co."

"Have you ever thought of following your fathers' footsteps?" asked another, flawlessly regurgitating my most frequently asked question word for word.

I scoffed, flopping back in my chair. "Me, a superhero? Thanks likely."

**GOTHAM CITY  
****AUGUST 27  
****19:37 EDT****  
**

**Dick Grayson**

I stalked out of my bathroom in a puff of steam, towelling off my hair. An hour long shower and I still smelled like Clayface. None of that really mattered though. I had other stuff on my mind.

"Just Aqualad." I growled as I ripped a pair of black sweatpants from a drawer. "Just mother fucking Aqualad."

"Wow." A voice from behind me snickered. "That's an awfully bad word for the saint to say."

"What do you _want_, Jason?" I asked as I pulled a shirt on over my head. "I've had a shitty enough day without you making it worse."

"An eff-word _and_ shitty." The younger boys eyes widened in sarcastic shock. "Who are you, evil pod person, and what have you done with the real Dickie Bird?"

"Don't call me that." I snapped, pushing past him out into the hall.

"Seriously though." Jay jogged up the hallway to catch me as I hurried downstairs. "What's got your panties in a wad?"

"Nothing." I grumbled.

"Yeah right." he snorted. "Because I completely believe you. You're not as good a liar as you think."

"It's just…Batman wanted to speak to Aqualad. Alone."  
Jay's jaw dropped, and he pretended to fan himself with his hand. "Bruce wanted to have a conversation without you? What has the world come to? Alert the newspapers! This is headline shit, right here." I thumped him hard on the shoulder, making him swear again, and took off towards the training room.

I felt better once I was working. I stretched for a while, tapped my knuckles and spent a half hour knocking the stuffing out of my favourite punching bag.

"Just. Aqualad." I huffed, a roundhouse kick sending the bag spinning to the left. "Fucking. Aqualad." When hands hurt, the skin beneath the tape pink and tender, so I abandoned the exercise for one I thought would surely calm me down.

On the rings I spun, the muscles in my arms quivering as I struggled to keep myself level. My thought were too scattered to concentrate. Why wouldn't Bruce want to talk to me? What was so important that only Kaldur could hear? I know it was stupid, feeling so jealous. But I couldn't help feeling…neglected.

I let go of the rings, backflipping through the air. I accidentally landed on a kick stand and fell backwards. I managed to get my hands under me and flipped back onto my feet, stumbling back until I hit the wall. I growled and spun, driving my fist into the wall. It dented, but the sensitive skin on my knuckled finally cracked, thin trails of blood slipping down my fingers. Cursing, I wrapped my hand in a towel and made my way over to the bench. I flopped down, cradling my hand against my chest while opening my bottle with the other.

"Fuck you Kaldur." I grumbled as I took a long gulp. Once I had swallowed, I realised just how angry I was. Because I was so angry, I had totally forgotten my promise to Brooklyn. "_Fuck_!" I threw my head down on my hands, pulling my hair. "How could I have forgotten? The one day she might have _actually_ needed me, and I blow it!" I faltered at my own words. Need me? Why would I care if she needed me? Why did I even _think_ she needed me?

"Master Richard." I turned my head in the direction of Alfred's voice. He was holding the door open. "Master Bruce wishes to see you."

"Does it have to be know?" I asked. "I think I need to make a phone call."

**MIDTOWN MANHATTAN  
****AUGUST 27  
****21:32 EDT****  
**

"You can't smoke in here." I glanced up at the bartender, who stared back at me pretty disbelievingly.

"Then why do you have an ashtray?" I asked sarcastically, flicking my ashes into the nearby glass bowl.

"That's for peanuts." he informed me, dragging the bowl across the counter, away from me.

"Oh. Well, you're out of peanuts. Did you know that?"  
"Please, miss, can you take that outside? There's a designated smoking area just through that door." He pointed past me for emphasis.

I groaned, rolling my eyes. "Fine. But first." I scratched my chin, scrunching up my eyebrows. "I'll have a Green Russian."

"A what?" asked the baffled bartender.

"A Green Russian." I repeated. "It's basically milk and absinthe. Think you can handle that?"

"How old are you?"

"Irrelevant. Less thinky, more drinky if you'd be so kind."

"Look, ma'am, I can't serve alcohol to you. You're a minor." I scowled, taking another drag from my cigarette. "And can you please smoke that outside?"

"Do you have Fanta?" I asked, rubbing my eyes. He nodded, disappeared for a moment, then returned with a can and a pint glass. "Cheers." I took the can, left the glass, stubbed out the fag butt in the not-ashtray, and threw a hundred dollar bill on the counter. "Keep the refills coming. That should handle my tab."

I weaved through the thick crowd that filled the gala hall. All the fancy-shmancy rich folks had gathered here after the remembrance thing, which had been nice, but dull. Speeches had been given, videos had been played, tears were shed, and Coldplay did an eight-sing mini concert (Pepper's idea, obviously, since she knows they're one of my favourite bands). But now, at the final hurdle, the last thing I had to suffer through before I could go to bed and make today tomorrow, and I was cracking.

The conversation with the bartender had been near impossible. Thank God he didn't notice when my cracked on 'Fanta'. I could feel the tears, hot and thick, stinging the backs of my eyes. If it wasn't for my glasses someone would have noticed by now.

I finally made it through the crowd, out onto the balcony. It wasn't the smoking area, but no one was around, so I decided it was now _my_ smoking area. I kicked off my silver shoes (a modest three inches to make me slightly less dwarvish) and climbed up onto the railing. My light skirt billowed around my thighs, the cool night air brushing along my cheeks. It was cold out, but my powers let me run hot whenever I wanted, so it never bothered me anymore. Whatever the weather, I was a toasty eighty degrees.

I pulled the pack of Marlboro I had nicked from Pepper out of my pocket and lit one. I only had two left, but I didn't plan on staying much longer. I amused myself with blowing smoke rings, a trick an old schoolmate had taught me, and allowed myself to be sad.

I never really realised just how lonely I was. Sure, I was surrounded by people, friends and an almost-family, but I still felt alone.

Heartbreakingly, gut wrenchingly, unbearably alone.

I was a Daddy's girl. I had always been a Daddy's girl. When Daddy wasn't around, I was Hawkeye's girl. And one of the two was always within arms reach. Thinking back on it, I couldn't help but realise that I really sort of had two dads. Dad-dad was the one who taught me everything I know. How to read, how to dismantle a motherboard, how to make a Bloody Mary. Clint had taught me all my favourite curse words, how to drive stick shift, how to use a bow. The other Avengers had played a part in my childhood too, as did Pepper. But when I think about it-really think about it-there was only two people on this earth that I really truly loved.

And they were both gone.

I blinked back tears, sniffling loudly. "God, I'm such a baby."

"No you're not."

I started, almost falling off of the ledge. Dick ran over and caught my wrist to steady me before I plummeted towards the ground.

"When did you get here?" I asked gruffly, speaking low to prevent it from breaking.

"A few minutes ago. Bruce is inside mingling." He hopped up next to me on the banister, making himself comfortable. While he was doing so, I took the opportunity to look him over. He was wearing a suit-an actual suit-with a crisp white shirt and a blue tie that matched his eyes. His hair was slicked back in that way I knew he hated.

All in all, he looked unfairly good.

It didn't matter, because I was still mad.

"You said you'd call." I reminded him, turning my cigarette between my fingers. "You didn't."

"Actually." He reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out my cracked Sony. "I did. This was on your bedroom floor. It still works fine." I snatched the phone from him, cheeks burning. _How could I actually be so stupid? _"Nice ringtone by the way. Never had you pegged for a Beyoncé fan."

"One song." I grumbled. "I just like that _one_ song." We sat in silence for a long time. I dropped my fag butt down and we watched as it fell three stories to the garden below.

"I didn't know you smoked." Dick told me. I just shrugged. "How come you didn't say?"

"I dunno." I picked at my nails nervously. "It's not like I'm a smoker. I just do it every once in a while."

"To make yourself look tough?"

"No!" I snapped, rounding on him. He just quirked an eyebrow sadly, unfazed. I sighed deeply and rubbed my eyes. My fingers came away smudged with mascara and eyeliner. "Maybe. I've learned that if you look unapproachable, people leave you alone."

"That's sad."

"That's _me_, Dick."

"You shouldn't have to be that way though." He insisted, sounding frustrated. "You're not on your own, you know that."

"Yeah, but I am. You don't get it Dick. I can't…connect with people like you can." I sniffled, rubbing my nose on my wrist, which did nothing since I didn't have any sleeves. "You're good at making friends, it's easy for you. I'm not like that. I'm hostile and sarcastic and…mean. I'm a bitch Dick. I have zero social skills."

"Then why do I like you so much?"

I froze, completely rigid against his side. I glanced up, through my fringe, to see he was blushing a hilarious shade of scarlet. But still, he continued.

"I like you. I _really_ like you. You're funny and caring and smart and you don't care what anyone thinks of you and you're not afraid to be _you_. And I like it. I like spending time with you. Whenever I feel like shit you're the first person I go to, because I know that you'll make me feel better without even realising it." His cheeks turned an ever darker shade as he concluded his speech. "I know I haven't known you very long, but I-I feel like I have. As cheesy as it sounds, I feel like I've known you my entire life. You're my best friend, Brooke. I dunno if I'm yours, but you're mine."

I blinked up at him, fresh tears pooling in my eyes. His face dropped.

"Why're you crying."

"Because I'm _happy,_ jackass." I sniffled. He grinned, a real shit-eating grin that made me chuckle. I scooted closer to his side and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I rested my head against his chest and gazed up at the starry sky. "Just so you know, you're my best friend too."

"Cool." He said, trying to sound nonchalant, but he still sounded happy. "Now that we're officially BFF's, can I tell you something?"

I snickered, nodding. "Shoot."

"You look like a raccoon."

* * *

**And so, it has begun.  
****This chapter was very poorly structured and for that, I apologise. The whole 'Avengers Day' thing was my little brothers idea so if you've got a beef with it, talk to the ten year old. I didn't think it was very believable, but people really will celebrate anything these days. I'm not sure about this chapter. Like, really not sure. But I wanted to show just how (completely tapped) emotionally unstable Brooklyn can be. The last thing I've ever wanted to do was create a Mary-Sue (and I think I've succeeded so far) so for me, making Brooklyn flawed and as imperfect as possible is a big issue. If that means she's crazy, so be it.  
****I would really appreciate some feedback for this one. Like, I'm begging here people. That and I'm only eleven away from hitting 100 (asgfherjenajgqwhat?).  
****So, if you'd be so kind, lemme know watcha think.  
****Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed.  
****TTFN!  
****-Luna****  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: WOW! You guuuuuys! The responses I got to the last chapter were amazing! Seriously, you people are the sweetest. I was so completely terrified about the last update, and knowing that my readers liked it really made my day. So, of course I had to do:  
****Comment Commentary #3  
****Guest: **thanks for the review!  
**RtheAwesome: **I couldn't exactly make it super cheerful, now could I? ;)  
**Lil Miss Sunshine 14: **I suppose a past jam-packed with death and destruction (not to mention some other shit I haven't touched on yet) then you're given a certain amount of leeway in the sanity department  
**EvilCheesecake437: **You hath suggested, and so it shall be  
**SnowWolf22: **grazie a milion, il mio amico (I'm teaching myself Italian). But seriously, thank you. It means a lot.  
**piggythelaw: **someone's a big Pepper fan ;)  
**OwlNebula: **Thank you, user-of-the-phrase-holy-pancake! No one has ever called anything I've ever done 'phantasmagorical' before, though I really wish they had. I've also never been referred to as 'Skywalker'…which was cool. So, thanks…on many levels.  
**A MAJOR Bookworm: **Lucas says thanks!  
**Yes, my name is Luna, and my brother's is Lucas. What's my older brother's name? Leon.  
****No joke!  
****If I had a sister, her name would be Lucy…or Linda.  
****Anywhoosies, on with the chapter!****  
**

* * *

**Chapter 15: Time To Forget**

**BIALYA  
****SEPTEMBER 4  
****06:36 EDT****  
**

Something wrapped around my leg.

I rolled over onto my stomach, still half asleep, resting my head on my arms. My sheets tangled further along my calves, growing tighter until I couldn't bend my knee.

Weird…

I reached down to jostle my bedcovers out of their chokehold, and my fingers brushed against scales. Cold…slippery…_scales_. Not sheets. Definitely _not_ sheets.

I screamed and bolted upright, staring in slack horror as the reptile coiled around my limbs. Brown, with darker stripes along its back, the snakes fanned head rose, as if charmed by a flute, and hissed before lunging forward. I whimpered, shrinking back from the reptiles bared fangs. A million stupid facts shot through my mind as its snakey little eyes trapped mine.

_Okay, so the dark ventricle bands probably meant Tigersnake. Tigersnakes are poisonous, and indigenous to Australia and parts of the middle east._

None of this helped.

After a brief moment of rapid hyperventilation and a little shriek, I snapped my palm against the air to stun the creature, struck out and wrapped my fingers around its…body, heating my palm. The snake thrashed wildly, the overpowering smell of burning plastic filling the air, making me cringe. Finally, it loosened its death grip on my shin and I pried it off, tossing it as far from me as I could. It landed with a thud some feet away, hissed at me again, and slithered off, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.

Grimacing, I wiped my bloodied hand on my pants. My tight, black…latex pants. I glanced down at myself, studying my clothes. Turns out I hadn't been wrong.

Black legging type things with a blue stripe along the sides. Clunky boots with steel toes. The weird half top I was wearing showcased muscles I didn't remember having, the tight grey-black fabric clinging tight to my chest. And I didn't seem to be wearing my glasses. I raised a gloved hand to touch my face and felt something covering my eyes.

A mask.

I was wearing a fucking mask.

I jumped to my feet, my black-black?-locks spinning around me. I hadn't noticed the sand before now. The snake should've been my first tip-off, but somehow it had taken this long to realise where I was.

A desert.

An actual desert.

Sand dunes and blazing sun and everything.

"What the fuck?" I murmured, turning on the spot. Sand, sand and more sand. Scrunching up my eyebrows in concentration, I thought back as far as I could. The last thing I had any recollection of was dragging Pepper to the Liverpool/Everton match. This was most definitely not Liverpool.

It was nicer.

I patted my hips, searching for something in my pockets that might explain my location. This is when I realised I was wearing a utility belt. An actual utility belt. Completely baffled at this point, I sat back down on the sand-warm, even though the sun must've been down with hours by now-and carefully examined the contents of each pouch.

Assorted pellets with letters painted on in what looked like nail polish. Some metal disks, blue on the inside and silver on the outside. A USB cable. Gummy bears. My phone, sporting a substantial crack along the screen. Another, uncracked, far _nicer_ phone (why did I have two?). My glasses. A squished Milkyway I must've sat on at some point, and twelve dollars in loose change.

_Dollars_?

Why would I have dollars?  
I switched on the unbroken phone to check the time, and I felt my jaw drop. September 4th stared up at me, accompanied by the time and a little thermometer with the temperature on it.

"What happened to March?" I balked, scratching my head. I had more hair than I remembered. I didn't particularly like it. rather dejected, I flopped back onto the ground, staring up at the slowly lightening sky. To test, I reached up and slipped off my mask. Once it was gone the world started to blur.

So I was still blind.

_Greeeat_.

I switched out the mask for my glasses, eager for something familiar, and decided to suss out my situation.

"Alright, six months with no recollection of anything that's happened. That's bad." I told myself as I popped a few gummy bears into my mouth. "I'm in a desert, and there aren't any deserts in the UK, so that isn't ideal either. I've got no water, an inadequate amount of food, no internet connection, no credit. So I'm probably going to die." I gave a little giggle, a faint bubble of hysteria rising in my gut. Was I really going to die? I never imagined I'd die in a desert. I always thought my demise would be a little more…memorable. Like a great bar brawl, or saving an old woman from a burning building.

Not like I was a hero or anything, but I'm sure if the possibility arose, I'd try to save the granny.

"HEY!"

I yelped, leaping to my feet with an athleticism I do not actually possess, and spun in the direction of the voice. Seemingly out of nowhere, a boy had appeared. Black hair, red vest, yellow cape, mask to match.

"Uh, who're you?" I asked warily, fists clenched at my sides. The boy stopped a dozen feet away, holding up his hands.

"I'm Robin." He told me. "Don't worry, I'm one of the good guys."

"Why would I be worried." I asked. "I could take you down if I had too." He took a step forward, but I stuck up my arm, a clear 'stay the fuck back' gesture. "Hold on. Where exactly am I, _Robin_?"

"Bialya." he said simply, as if he hadn't just informed me I was on the wrong continent.

"No we're not." I snorted. "I was in Liverpool a few hours ago. No way am I in the Middle East."

"Yeah you are. I don't know how I got here either, if that makes you feel any better."

"It doesn't."

"Listen, uh, Ms Stark-"

"How do you know who I am?" I demanded, a flicker of panic rising in my chest. What if this was some kind of trap? What if I was going to be kidnapped or something? It sounded stupid, but I'd seen weirder.

"You're Brooklyn Stark, aren't you?" he asked, stepping closer again. I took a step back. "Everyone knows you. You're always on the news."

"Yeah, well…I suppose that makes sense." I rubbed my eyes under my glasses, the beginning of headache pounding behind them. "Look, I need help getting out of here. You seem to know what's going on so…give us a hand, yeah?"

He nodded, bringing up a holo computer from his glove, which showed a map. "I can't radio Batman for an extraction, so we're gonna have to get around on foot." Robin started off, motioning for me to follow. After a moment of hesitation, I jogged to catch up with my new caped companion.

"So, did someone put you in those clothes, or did you choose to wear tights?"

**BIALYA  
****SEPTEMBER 4  
****12:02 EDT****  
**

"Robin, we've been on the move for hours." I complained, slumping back against the rock wall. For some strange reason, my new friend had dragged me up the side of a huge rock formation after a good three hours of nonstop walking. "Can't we take a little break."

"We need to keep moving." He told me for the fiftieth time.

"You keep saying that, but where exactly are we going? You haven't told me."

"I'll tell you once I figure it out." he informed me dryly. In general, he seemed to be a dry person. Apparently his real name wasn't Robin, it was his 'dual identity'. He was Batman's partner, and had gone into great detail on explaining who Batman was, but wouldn't tell me anything personal t all. And call me picky, but I didn't feel like having an in depth conversation with someone I addressed by a moniker.

"Did you hear that?" Robin asked suddenly, eyes narrowing. I shrugged, straining my ears for any sort of sound. And though it was faint, I soon picked up the low rumble of engines. Robin grabbed my wrist, pulling me into the shadows out of the piercing afternoon sun. We hunkered down behind the rocks as a jeep passed, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Bialian Republican Army uniforms." Robin muttered, pushing down on my shoulder so I wouldn't try to rise. "This is so weird."

"Did your Batman send you here?" I asked as the jeep turned into a black dot against the horizon. Instead of answering Robin jumped from our ledge and flipped to the ground. I followed, snapping my palms against the air to slow my decent, though not as much as I should've. I had to keep my powers a secret. I landed hard and almost toppled, but my companion shot out his arm to steady me. I nodded my thanks, but said nothing. Something else had caught my attention.

"What's that?" I asked, pushing past him. I picked up the black swatch of cloth, torn and frayed at the edges, decorated with a big red 'S'.

"Dunno." Robin conceded, appearing at my shoulder. "That's Superman's shield, but it shouldn't be black."

"Uh, Superman?" I asked, giving a somewhat sheepish look. I wasn't used to being so clueless, and Robin might as well have been speaking a different language for all I understood.

"He's a hero." He told me, taking the cloth from my grasp. "Like Batman. A member of the Justice League."

I blinked. "You're not making as much sense as you think."

**BIALYA  
****SEPTEMBER 4  
****16:12 EDT****  
**

"You ready?"

"Yeah, go."

"Is it the sand?"

"No."

"Is it the sky?"

"No."

"Is it that rock?"

"Yeah."

I sighed, another boring round of eye spy effectively finished. We were only playing to distract ourselves from our hunger. Robin and I had already finished off his canteen of water, and my Milkyway was long gone. With only three gummy bears left and no end in sight, we were pretty freaked out about our dwindling food stocks.

"We're almost at the GPS marker." Robin informed me with more cheer than I felt. "Wish I could remember why I put it here." He jogged ahead and (groaning internally) I followed. I turned the corner he had cut around, only to have him snag my wrist and pull me down."

"What the hell was that for?" I asked, rubbing my wrist. "That hurt." I pushed myself up onto my knees beside him so I could look over the sand dune we had hunkered behind. In the middle of a little clearing stood a…something. A mechanical, weirdly shaped, rather unimpressive…something.

"Guessing that's why." Robin said loftily, narrowing his eyes again. "Coast's clear. Lets go check it out." without waiting for a reply he leapt over the dune and made his way down the slope to the clearing with me at his heals.

As we approached the machine, soldiers appeared out of nowhere.

And I _mean_ out of nowhere.

Shouting in what I assume was Bialian (or whatever language it is that Bialians speak) they closed in on us, rifles raised. Robin elbowed me in the gut to catch my attention before breaking a smoke bomb.

"Get down!" he ordered as the thick fog billowed around us. I scoffed, hunkering down into a fighting stance. Little bird didn't think I could fight.

_Ha-ha._

I launched myself at one of the Bialian soldiers, driving my elbow into his gut. he doubled over and I cracked his jaw against my knee, pushing his unconscious body under the legs of two more. One tumbled over his fallen comrade but the other stepped out of the way, rifle aimed at me. I snapped my palm against the air, sending a ripple that sent him hurtling. Clicking my fingers, I launched a fireball through the smoke, catching sight of another soldier. He spun around, shooting blindly through the clouds. I ran up, leapt into the air and kicked out, knocking the air from his lungs as my foot connected with his chest. he slumped and I pried his rifle from his grasp, spinning around. Through the fog I could make out three silhouettes. One, the smallest which leapt through the air, was fighting a larger shadow, evidently one of the soldiers. The third outline was sneaking up behind the pair, gun cocked, aimed at the smaller figure.

On instinct I lifted my own riffle and fired. A small spray of blood and a loud cry told me I had hit home. Robin knocked the last of the soldiers as the smoke began to clear. I hiked the riffle over my shoulders as he stalked over to me.

"What did you do?" he asked angrily, gesturing towards my new gun. "Don't tell me you killed anyone."

"Of course not." I scoffed, making my way over to the soldier I had shot. He lay on the ground, clutching his shin, a thin layer of blood coating his pants leg. "It's just a flesh wound. he'll be fine."

"You shouldn't have shot him." Robin grumbled.

"He would've shot you." I pointed out. "Now come on, let's check out the-"

"Atklāt uguni!"

Gunshots filled the air. Robin latched onto my arm, pulling me behind him. I growled, telling him politely to fuck off as we dodged another spray of bullets. i rolled along the ground, coming to a stop in a crouched firing stance that would've made even little old Nick Fury proud. But before I could pull the trigger, a flash of orange and grey streaked across the clearing, taking the riffles out of the picture. The blurred figure stopped, revealing a boy-probably a little older than me-dressed in a unitard, arms overloaded with heavy duty artillery. He dropped the guns, smirking, and sped off again, ploughing intone of the Bialians, then another, then another. I know I should've helped, but I was a little distracted.

Robin rounded on two more soldiers, but they were thrown back, almost as if I had done something. Which I hadn't. just for the record. Suddenly, a girl who was most definitely green materialised above Robin's head. I would've balked if I'd had the time, but I was busy cracking the butt of my riffle against the helmet of a Bialian Republican soldier.

"KF!" Robin exclaimed, clasping hands the with ginger speedster. "Man, it's good to see a familiar face!"

"Her Rob! Memory loss?"

"Six months!" Robin snickered, before gesturing over his shoulder. "Let's hog-tie these creeps and compare notes."

"Uh, sorry to intrude." I glanced over my shoulder to see a girl with a bow and a ponytail stalk over. She didn't sound particularly pardonful. "But mind telling me who you people are, exactly?"

"We're your teammates!" cried the green girl, throwing her arms wide. "The five of us-and Superboy."

"Then this must be his." Robin held up the swatch of cloth, the one with the 'S' shield, and gave it to the girl.

"Yes!" she said, examining the torn fabric. "Did you see him?"

"Feral boy?" asked the ginger. "Some teammate. He attacked us."

"He didn't know who we are." The blond girl told him. "I don't know who we are."

"Then let's play intro's, shall we?" I said sarcastically. "My names Brooklyn. Who're you?"

"Artemis." Bit out the blond. "And no need to be a bitch." I flipped her off, not bothering to be discrete.

"I remember Batman ordering radio silence." Robin told us. "We must work for him!"

"How do you know we don't work for _my_ mentor?" Gingie asked, thumping his finger against his chest…making his suit change colour. The black was swallowed up by bright yellow, his leggings changing from grey to red. "Whoa." He tapped the lightning bolt logo on his chest again, switching his suits colours. He repeated the action a few times before blondie-_Artemis_-snapped.

"Quite touching yourself!" she growled. I snickered at her choice of words, but commented no further. "We nee our memories back. Now!"

"No duh." I mumbled, scratching my ear.

_'To help Superboy.'_

I shuddered, but before I could even ask what the hell was going on, the desert around me evaporated, and I felt myself fall.

* * *

**This chapter was going to be a lot longer (I was going to do all of episode nine in one go) but I got some pretty tragic news earlier yesterday. My friend's father had a massive heart attack and was rushed to hospital, and my mum was taking care of her baby brother while the family went in the ambulance with him. He passed away a few hours later, I'm extremely sad to say. Just goes to show how precious life is, and how fast it can be ripped out from under you.  
So that's why this chapter is so short. I just finished off the paragraph I was on, wrote this author's note and uploaded.  
Hope you liked it and thank you for reading. If you've got a second, leave a lil' review.  
And do something nice for someone you care about, okay? You might not always have the chance.  
TTFN  
-Luna**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Sup, my ninjas (yup, you're my ninjas now!)  
****So, the funerals have been had, the tears have been shed. Snot has poured from the noses of the grievous and, as per usual, I laughed at inappropriate times all throughout the service (am I the only one who does that?)  
****Here's some thanks for piggythelaw, LadyFelton1994, RtheAwesome, empressofthedead, EvilCheesecake437, SnowWolf22, AlexandraKnight09, FabIsHere and redangel2463 for reviewing *throws brick labelled 'thanks'*  
****_And_**** thanks to everyone who faved/followed/read/offered your sympathy, which was really nice. You get a brick too.  
**

**Disclaimer of Disclamation: I don't own shit. And I don't own Young Justice either. *bwahahahahahahahaha! I make my insides smile [insert troll face]*****  
**

* * *

**Chapter 16: Lost and Not Found**

**BIALYA  
****SEPTEMBER 4  
****18:32 EDT****  
**

"_Whaaaat the fuuuck?"_

To recap: I didn't know where I was. I couldn't remember the last six months. I didn't have a _clue_ who these other people I was with where. And now, the walls were glowing _purple_.

"Am I on acid?" I asked conversationally, thoroughly bewildered as I examined what appeared to be shards of glass suspended in mid air. On each, a clip was repeating itself over and over. I was in quite a few. "I've never taken acid before, but I'm pretty such hallucinations and shit are part of the package."

"I think if you were on acid, you'd know it." Robin pointed out, gazing up at the scenes, wide eyed behind his domino mask.

"Well it's not like I remember anything else, is it?" I countered. "I could be high as fuck right now, couldn't I? How do I know this is real, and I'm not just trippin' major ballsack?"

"Do you even _hear_ how inappropriate you are?" Blondie-_Artemis_, her name is _Artemis_-asked, quirking a self important brow.

"It's not inappropriate. I'm just making an inquiry."

Suddenly, a bright light appeared before us. I threw my arm up to shield my eyes as the green girl materialised seemingly out of thin air. This solidified my belief that I was, in fact, jacked out of my skull.

"I've brought you into my mind to share what I've remembered so far." The girl told, clutching her cloak tightly around her. "But I need your help. Together our broken minds can form a whole, if you open your minds to mine."

"You wanna paw through our private thoughts?" Artemis demanded, folding her arms defiantly.

"I have no wish to intrude but-"

"You need to hack into our minds to crack what happened to us." Robin interjected. "Got it. Go."

"Do what you want." I said flippantly. "I'm still a firm believer in none of this being real. If you're a figment of my drug-addled psyche then you already know my deepest darkest secrets."

"That's weird." Gingie stated. "But on a more important not, my mind's all yours." His eyebrows did a little dance as he gave the greenbean a pointed look of failed seduction. "Try not to let its brilliance overwhelm you."

"Or _under_whelm you. Hey, why isn't anyone ever just whelmed?"

"I dunno." I shrugged. "Maybe if you start saying it it'll catch on."

"Hope so."

"Probably won't."

"Can you two _please_ focus?" Artemis snapped. "We need to find out what's going on." She turned to the green girl again, squaring her shoulders. "_Just_ the last six months. And _only_ what you need." The girl nodded, and held her arms out. Two green coloured beams shot from each, and one latched onto each of our heads. My eyes snapped shut of their own accord, and images flooded my mind.

_All of us in Mount Justice. Batman, telling us about a power surge detected in the Bialian desert. Giving us details of the mission we were about to embark on. Ordering us to maintain radio silence, as all frequencies were subject to outside interference. _

_Now in Bialya. We were setting up shop in the middle of a clearing. I looked through someone else's eyes at myself, standing next to Robin and Kid Flash as he busied himself at the server._

_"Jackpot! This site's lousy with Zeta-beam radiation!"_

_"Detecting non-terrestrial trace elements from the tent."_

_"Well that sounds shitty."_

_"I'll check it out in camouflage mode."_

_ "Good idea. Go. But remember. Camouflage is not invisible."_

_The perspective shifted again._

_"Be careful." Superboy said._

_"And maintain telepathic contact." Kaldur added._

_"I will Aqualad."_

"AQUALAD!"

I gasped, landing back in the desert, in my own body. How could we forget Kaldur? Like, _actually_ forget him. Completely…completely forget him.

"We suck." I pointed out, rubbing the back of my neck. "We suck a lot."

"Where is he?" Robin asked. "What happened next?"

"I don't know!" M'gann cried. "That's the last thing I-we remember."

"We landed twenty-four hours ago." Wally stated, yanking his hand away from Artemis'. I hadn't noticed they'd been holding hands…why were they holding hands, exactly? "If Kaldur's been wandering the desert that long…well, that's not good for a guy with gills."

"Now that I know to look for him..." Robin brought up his holo computer, scanning for Aqualad. "He's close! But he's not moving."

"Then why are we still here?" I asked impatiently, hopping around on the balls of my feet. "Let's go!"

Funny thing about the daunting thought of your friend lying dead in the middle of a scorching desert. It totally makes you forget how hungry you are. But once you know they aren't dead, the hunger sets in again.

Kid Flash had already zoomed off to find Kaldur, and was kind enough to let us know that he was still alive…mostly. As the rest of us sprinted across the sand, M'gann flying overhead with Robin leading the way, the steady thump of my boots against the smooth terrain was my only distraction. I don't know what I did to make myself so tired, but I was suddenly far more sympathetic towards Wally.

Did he _always_ have the muchies this bad?

I didn't realise I was slowing down until Artemis appeared at my side, overtaking me soon after. I grumbled, forcing my exhausted limbs to work faster. I had a reputation to uphold.

"He's up here!" Robin called over his shoulder and, true to his word, a few moments later the three of us stopped, huffing and puffing, beside Wally and a very unconscious Aqualad. M'gann touched down beside him, dropping to her knees and putting his head in her lap. He was muttering to himself in Atlantian, too low for me to make out. All I knew for certain was that he was pleading with someone, the phrase 'I love you' appearing here and there. No one else knew this, and Kaldur didn't exactly know what he was saying, so I decided it wasn't my place to share.

"I can't restore his memories in this condition." M'gann told us.

"He needs immediate rehydration." Robin turned to me, eyes hopeful behind his domino mask. "Havok, can you-"

"Make some water?" I finished for him, shaking my head. "No. I can't just create it, I control it. M'gann, can you call the Bio-ship?"

"It's out of range. But you can get him there fast." She gazed at ally hopefully, but he just sighed.

"He's too heavy." he huffed dryly. "And I'm too low on fuel. Right now I couldn't even carry her." he jerked his thumb towards me for emphasis, which I smacked away, reaching up to flick his ear.

"Why not just levitate him back?" Artemis asked, making a very good point, in my opinion.

"I can't. I have to find Superboy. Six months ago he didn't _exist._ He _has_ no memories. Just animal impulse. I'm the only one who can help him."

"Superboy's indestructible." Wally reminded her. "Just ask those tanks. It's Aqualad who needs your help. Like, now."

Before she could respond, M'gann bent double, clutching her head. "Superboy's in pain!" she cried, snapping upright again. she took off, flying up and out of sight in seconds.

"We still don't know what erased our memories!" Robin hollered after her. "It could happen again!"

"Don't bother." I sighed, crouching down beside Kaldur. "She's long gone by now." I gently cradled out leader's head as he continued to mutter softly, still in his native tongue.

"Tula…_please_."

"What's he saying?" Wally asked.

"Um…water." I answered lamely. "He's asking for a drink."

"Him and me both." Robin said, bringing up his holo computer again. "Okay, the Bio-ship's only three miles from here. It shouldn't take us that long if he hurry."

"Hurrying isn't high on my agenda, Rob." Said, checking his pockets once again for any food he might have missed. "My fuel tanks are at an all time low."

"We have to get him to the Bio-ship soon." Artemis reminded us. "He's not gonna last much longer if we don't."

"You're right." I laid Kaldur's head down once again, standing stiffly. I held my hand out, splaying my fingers. Slowly, very slowly, his body began to rise, and I grunted as his weight seemed to land squarely on my shoulders. "I can't carry him for long. We've got a half hour, tops."

"Shouldn't take much more than that." Dick promised, already starting off towards our maiden vessel. "Even if it does, we can take turns carrying him for the last leg."

**BIALYA  
****SEPTEMBER 4  
****19:09 EDT****  
**

"My arm hurts."

"Yeah." Artemis grumbled. "You've _mentioned_ it."

"What?" I asked. "Am I not allowed voice my discomfort."

"Y'know what? No, you're not. And that goes double for you." She told Wally, who held up his hands defensively.

"What the hell did I do now?"

"It's not what you did, it's what you're gonna do."

"That doesn't even make sense!"

"Shhhh!" Robin hissed, dashing behind a boulder. "This way." We all followed, me carefully manoeuvring Kaldur as fast as I could. He was barely a foot above the ground now, and I had to take my time in case I accidently bashed his skull off of something. I made it under the cover of the rocks just as a Bialian army truck shot passed. Panting, I lowered Kaldur to the ground as slowly as I could, but he still hit the sand with a soft thud.

"Tula," he murmured. "I love you. We can stay here, in Atlantis. I want us to be together." It really did feel like I was snooping through his diary.

"Shh, Kaldur." Artemis spoke softly, placing a hand on his forehead. "Quiet now."

"Yes, please, shush." I added, which earned me a questioning look from the archer.

"We can't risk a fire fight with Aqualad K.O.'d like this." Robin growled, ducking behind the boulder again.

"It's not just him." Wally added. "I'm way outta juice."

"What did I tell you?" Artemis snapped irritably. "And I'm almost out of arrows."

"What do we do, Rob?" I asked, turning to the Boy Wonder. Or, at least, where the Boy Wonder was. "God, he's such a dick." Wally snickered, and I gave a weak smile, flopping back against the rock, hitting my head against a rut painfully. "I forgot how much I hate it when he goes all ninja."

"Seconded. And you never said why your dad would want you to _ckk_ me." Wally told Artemis while dragging his thumb across his throat, the universal symbol of horrendous murder.

"I got…confused by…um…this old movie I saw the other night." Artemis explained pitifully. "'Bout a ninja girls who's…ninja dad ordered her to kill her ninja boyfriend 'cause he was from a rival...ninja...clan."

"Oh, I think I've seen that one!" I piped in cheerfully, earning a death stare from Arty. "_Ninja Teens Six, Rise of the Planet of the Bullshit_."

"Yeah." Artemis sneered, obviously trying to decide whether to laugh or slap me. "That was probably it."

_"Soooo."_ Wally interjected. "I'm your ninja boyfriend, huh?"

"Amnesia, remember? Forgot how truly annoying you are."

Sighing, I cast my eyes down to Kaldur, who continued to murmur to himself. As much as I hate dehydration, I sort of envied his state of unconsciousness. He didn't have to listen to the lovebirds squabble.

"Seriously." I mumbled to my passed out teammate. "Why cant they just shag each other and get it out of the way."

"Please…I love you."

"Well that's very flattering but it doesn't have much to do with them."

"Together. Stay in Atlantis together."

"Naw, you're alright. Can't breath underwater."

"Tula."

"What's a Tula?"

I jumped out of my skin when Robin suddenly appeared beside me. He giggled, but ceased abruptly as my clenched fist made contact with his lower abdomen.

"Dude, where were you?" Wally demanded as Robin rolled from his front to his back, curling into a ball as he held his stomach. A slight overreaction, if you ask me. I would know since I'm the one who hit him.

"Breaking radio silence." He wheezed, a satisfied smirk curling his lips. And, with perfect comedic timing, a cackle sounded through the night, followed by a loud explosion and a few chesty coughs. "That's our queue." Robin got to his feet, dusted off his cape, flicked my ear, and waltzed over to Kaldur. "You think you can still carry him?"

"Maybe." And it turns out, I could. After a few failed attempts the K.O.'d Atlantian rose from the sandy floor.

"You look constipated." Robin commented, gesturing towards my scrunched up face.

"Yeah, and you're a dick."

**BIALYA  
****SEPTEMBER 4  
****19:58 EDT****  
**

I watched the dust swirl around Wally's feet, resting my elbows on his back. I'd sort of collapsed about ten minutes prior and Kid, in a rather reluctant fashion, had scooped me up over his shoulder, barely pausing to adjust my flailing limbs, and kept on moving. Artemis and Robin had fashioned a makeshift gurney out of broken sticks, lots of string and an old tarp we'd found floating about. The two now dragged him across the cooling desert, Kid given the holy responsibility of minding me. It was crude, I suppose, but effective.

Kaldur hadn't slipped off yet.

My stomach bounced painfully on his shoulder as Kid jogged up to Robin's side. "How much further?" he whined, jumping on the balls of his feet. I punched his butt in protest, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Five hundred feet." Dick told him. "It's probably in camouflage mode. That's why we can't see it."

"I'll run ahead and check it out."

"_Wallace don't you dare!"_

But he had already tossed me to my feet and sped off, leaving me to massage my bruised gut.

"Douche bag." I grumbled, forcing my legs to move. My ten minute siesta had been of some help, but I was still so goddamn _tired_. My boots had grown at least six times heavier, and the extra weight of my domino mask made my head loll down. "I think I'm gonna pass out again."

"Please don't." Robin threw me an apologetic look. "I'm not strong enough to carry you."

"Did you just call me fat?"

"Guys!" Wally skidded to a stop beside us, panting heavily from his sudden exertion. "Bio-ship's straight ahead!"

"Yay." I huffed sarcastically, dragging my feet, very slowly starting to lag behind my teammates. Rolling his eyes, Wally stopped beside me and heaved me onto his shoulder again. Grinning, I shuffled around, making myself more comfortable.

"If you don't stop squirming I'll drop you." he warned as he trudged after Artemis and Robin. I immediately froze, going back to counting the pebbles beneath his feet. Once we reached the bio-ship Wally set me down, with little grace, and together the four of us managed to get Aualad inside, off the gurney, onto a flatbed and hooked up to s water bottle. Wally and I did our parts hoisting Kaldur onto the counter, but once w were sure he wasn't gonna die we proceeded to ransack the aircrafts cupboards for food. Wally found himself a little feast, I had collected a small pile of goodies. Hell, I'd even told them about my secret Kit Kat stash. The four of us pigged out quietly, no sound except for obnoxious chewing, the occasional slurp of a drink, and a few urgent coughs from me when I almost choked on air in between Twix's. Kaldur continued to sleep peacefully, on mumbling the occasional 'Tula' here and there.

Once we'd filled our neglected stomachs, Artemis started playing doctors, rubbing Kaldur's forehead with a damp rag. Wally and Robin made quaint conversation about second rate ninja movies they wanted to see, and I made myself content with doing what I'd been doing originally. Before I lost my memories. Before I wandered the desert hopelessly. Before I re-met my team.

Switching my contacts from my old cell phone to my new one.

"I don't even remember who half these people are." I commented, scrolling through the seemingly endless list of names. "Seriously, who's Tommy? I've got four Tommy's in here that I have no idea how I know. One two thr…three Billy's, and there's only one Billy I talk to. And I don't even have him down as Billy."

"What do you have him listed under?" Artemis asked, ringing out her cloth into a nearby bucket.

"Harry Potter."

"Why?" she asked, though her tone informed me that she really didn't care.

"Oh, because he's a sorcerer."

"Yeah right." Wally snorted, leaning back in his chair. "Is this the whole 'make me believe in magic' thing? I thought we were over this."

"We are." I promised. "I'm past caring. And he _is_ a sorcerer. He just kind of…sucks at it."

"You're friends with a sucky sorcerer?" Dick asked unbelievingly.

"You've met him." I laughed, shoving another fistful of Doritos into my mouth. " 'E's de sa'ca'tic un wiv da brown 'air."

"English please." The Boy Wonder snickered.

_'Hey everyone! I've got Superboy. He's back to normal and we're on our way!' _

I yelped at M'gann's sudden intrusion, partly choking on my crisps as they were sucked down my throat in a big chunk. I wasn't the only one who was frightened, as Kaldur snapped bolt upright, almost yanking his IV from his arm.

"Who are you?" Kaldur demanded, gasping for air. "And how did you get inside my head?"

_'Hello Megan! Aqualad's memories! Knew I forgot something.'_

"Yeah, we seem to forget him a lot." I commented, waving a nacho through the air. "I'm starting to think we suck as friends."

'_Aw man!'_ Wally groaned, using the psychic link instead of bothering to speak out loud. '_I forgot to get a souvenir from the mission!'_

'_Don't worry._' M'gann assured him cheerfully. _'Got the souvenir thing covered.'_

_'Well…that's sort of ominous.' I _pointed out. '_What if she brings back a poisonous snake of some description? Or one of those Bialian army rifles? Or a _Bialian_!'_

_'Why would she bring back a person as a souvenir?'_ Dick asked, to which I just shrugged.

_'I don't know what Martians find funny. She might get a kick out of the whole thing.'_

* * *

**Sort chapter this week, but the next one will be much much much longer (half of it's written already, and my word count is about 4,000)  
****Some notes of notation: I'm glossing over episodes ten and eleven of the show, since ten is M'gann-Superboy centric, and eleven is all about Red Arrow (and it seems highly unlikely Roy'd ask Brooklyn for help). So I'm picking up on 'Homeland', but I'm gonna be a very bold girl and deviate from the show again. The whole message of 'Homeland' is that Robin and Artemis can do anything their super powered friends can do. Since Brooke has powers, she doesn't fit the needed criteria. And she cant get stuck at the Cave like the others (because since she lives in Gotham, realistically she'd arrive at the Cave with Arty and Dick) so I'm putting my own spin on the whole thing. I'm thinking Brooke goes out on patrol with Batman and they *cough cough* ****_run into someone_**** XD  
****Have I gotten your attention? Good?  
****Feedback is like a million tiny kisses from a panda baby (I don't know what that feels like, but I assume it's fantastic)  
****Until next week, my lovelies.  
****Thanks for reading!  
****…  
****Baaaiiiiii!****  
**


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